By Steven Rodas –

Many students returning to school this year were surprised to find that parking on campus is more complicated, and more expensive, than it was last year.

Among the many construction jobs currently taking place at NJCU, the biggest impact has been from ongoing construction of the NJCU West Campus. (Other projects include the creation of a new entrance to campus near Kennedy Boulevard and energy-saving enhancements made to the mechanical systems at Hepburn Hall.)

Because of construction, space at Lot 3A near West Side Avenue has been significantly reduced. To offer more parking, the university opened up new lots 6 and 7, but getting to them can take time because they are located off of Route 440. NJCU offers shuttles from these lots to campus, but early in the semester students and staff complained that the shuttles were too slow to come and were often so crowded that passengers were left behind.

Construction is still taking place to create an entrance/exit for lot 6, so this lot is currently being considered just one large parking lot of 6 and 7 combined, which is located between Carbon Place and the Raymour & Flannigan store on 440.

“I feel that Lot 3A has a lot less spaces than last year. Also the fact we have to pay more for parking is something that I think should be considered only after the construction on Lot 6 is finished. And honestly, it doesn’t feel like much more [parking] spaces have been added, so right now it is inconvenient to park at lots 6 and 7,” said Psychology major Maria Gomez, 22, from West New York.

Fees Increase

Last semester, many students parked at Lot 3A, located where West Side Avenue and Audubon Avenue meet. Students were able to pay a prepaid amount of $3 and a daily rate of $6. Some students would also park along West Side Avenue and abide by the street laws to essentially have parking free of charge. Other students who were lucky found parking at the GSUB garage and also paid a prepaid rate of $3 and daily rate of $6.

This semester Lot 3A is charging a prepaid amount of $4 and a daily rate of $7. Since there is less parking available here, some students have questioned how the rate increase can be justified. Meanwhile, the Gilligan Student Union Building (GSUB) garage charges a prepaid rate of $5 and a daily rate of $7. The newly added Lots 6 and 7 charge a prepaid rate of $4 and a daily rate of $7.

In summation, the rates for all campus parking have increased by $1, marking the first increase since 2007. NJCU Vice President of Finances Aaron Aska said in an email that the GSUB parking garage underwent a major renovation/restoration over the past year. He said that during the summer of 2012, “the garage was closed so that the B level concrete deck could be repaired and restored, a new concrete waterproofing coating could be installed on the second level, and patching and repair of the concrete could be done on the lower level.  The entire garage was re-striped and a few handicapped parking spaces were added based on the new configuration.  In addition, over the past few months, the exit to the campus from Level B was made barrier free, new guide rails were installed, new parking bumpers and speed humps were installed, and bird deterrent was installed on the overhead piping.  These renovations totaled approximately $1,000,000 of the approximately $7,700,000 spent on the overall GSUB project.”

While officials said they understand student frustration over the parking situation, Public Safety supervisor Denise Gourdine reassured students by saying, “NJCU now has 600 more spaces with the addition of parking lots 6 and 7. Students need to understand that NJCU can’t build without making sacrifices. We started construction in the summer so that it could be completed by the end of the year. Faculty, staff and students are still adapting to the change, but they need to understand that this change has been implemented to improve our community.”

“Having more spaces is better because there’s less chance to get a ticket on the street. But they [NJCU] already took enough from our tuition, so parking should not cost more, period,” said Eric Geronimo, a 19-year-old Business major.

“NJCU has the lowest parking fees in the state,” Aska said in a follow-up interview. “NJCU resident students pay $139 per semester and commuter students pay $103. St.Peter’s college currently charges an annual rate of $150 for commuter students and $175 for resident students. Meanwhile, Rutgers University charges roughly $299.60 annually for commuter students and $600 annually for resident students.”

Ultimately, having the two additional parking lots of 6 and 7 is an asset, but students, faculty and staff are not used to traveling more than a block to get to campus once they have parked.

English professor Mark Tursi said, “I used to enjoy walking from the other lot when the weather was nice, but this is a bit too far to do that. So, other than that, I don’t really mind too much. I certainly support improvements (and certain expansions) to our campus if it improves opportunities for students and faculty.”

Construction is still being applied to make Lot 6 its own accessible lot. In emails sent to students and staff earlier in the school year, the administration said that, “Work along Carbon Place is expected to be completed in early December, which will allow the opening of the access gate to and from Lot 6 via Carbon Place.”

Although things are going more smoothly now, some people are still frustrated with waiting for the shuttle buses. “The shuttle buses fill up quick at the campus stop and don’t come often at the parking lot stops. At this point it’s just annoying. Students are getting to class late,” said Gomez.

“It was 10 o’clock [at night] the other day and the line for the shuttle was so long I had to walk,” said 22 year-old History major Alyssa Landy. “There are not enough shuttles which makes it inconvenient, and dangerous at night.”

NJCU’s librarian Sheila Kirven echoes this, stating, “Shuttles should be more frequent, especially on nights. It’s ridiculous people end up having to walk, sometimes all the way to Lot 7 by 440.”

“Last year this shuttle went to one place [West Side Avenue] now it goes to two [West Side Avenue and Lot 6 and 7] and yet it feels like there aren’t more shuttles,” says 23 year-old Biology major Abhishek Amin.

University Response

In response to these concerns, Aska said, “We don’t own the shuttles, so it costs about $57,000 dollars to add one more shuttle. NJCU has one of the lowest parking rates in the region and yet we provide shuttle services to our campus community. It’s a balance of providing more shuttles and not increasing the parking rates. We raised the rates by one dollar and it’s the first time we raised rates in over 6 years.”

NJCU officials have taken measures to increase shuttle buses for this semester and believe the issue at the moment is simply adjusting to the change.

“We have increased the number of shuttles so that there are two for each parking lot,”explained Gourdine. “I was at the lots myself recently and a group of students were discussing parking. They had come to an agreement that for people taking late classes, they are better off going straight to lots 6 and 7. It is something I recommend as well. In the evening, people head to the GSUB garage to see that it is full, then head to lot 3A, which turns out to be also full, and all this hassle stresses them out. If they were to give themselves more time and head straight to lots 6 and 7 they would find that everything would go a lot smoother. They would find parking, get on a shuttle and be on time. Once the entrance/exit for lot 6 is done the shuttles will have an easier route to and from the lots.”

Addressing Safety

Fortunately, safety has not presented any problems but students expect security to also up the ante, particularly with the recent shooting that took place in the Saint Peter’s parking lot in Jersey City on August 13, which injured head baseball coach Sean Cashman, 25. With multiple lots and people exiting class at 9:50 p.m. students hope it will be a priority for NJCU security to monitor the lots.

Gourdine said these concerns are being addressed. “This semester, public safety has doubled security besides having a mobile patrol around campus and the lots. However, we hope no students choose to walk to and from the lots, especially at night.”