Campus Parking

Parking Availability
Many freshmen students at the University of Oklahoma find it difficult to find parking spots available by the dorms. Although, there are many parking spots available all across campus, there are not many available for the freshmen who actually have to live in the dorms. Either students have to drive around hoping and praying for a parking spot to open or they have to find a parking spot that is completely far away from the dorms. This would not be a problem if students were not required to fulfill certain requirements in order to purchase priority parking spot, which are the closest parking spots to the dorms. They outline the Walker, Adams, and Couch Towers and also the Cate dorms. They are the most convenient parking spots for the freshmen who live in the dorms and should be available to every freshman, not just the ones who came into freshman year with prior college education.

We should not, as students, have to uphold certain requirements in order to purchase a priority parking spot because it would allow for more parking spaces to be available to freshman students who live in the dorms. . Taking away priority parking is the best solution for freshman students at the University of Oklahoma because it would, allow more parking spots to be available to freshmen students, it would allow equality among the freshmen students and it would allow students to have a greater chance at having a safe, brief walk to their dorms instead of having to walk a far, unsafe distance.

Not requiring students to fulfill prior college education requirements is the best solution for more convenient spots being available to freshman students. Since freshmen are required to live in the dorms, they should have an equal opportunity to get a close parking spot. Taking away priority parking is the best solution for freshman students at the University of Oklahoma would, first, it would allow more parking spots to be available to freshman students. Priority parking spots are rarely in use, so why not allow other students to park there? Second, it would allow equality among the freshman students. No student at the University of Oklahoma should be treated unfairly; we all go to the same school and should not be rewarded or penalized due to what high school we attended and what was offered there.

Third, it would allow students to have a greater chance at having a safe, brief walk to their dorms instead of having to walk a far, unsafe distance. Students should not have to park far away from the dorms, especially when there are plenty of priority parking spaces available. My proposal is that anyone that is not a freshman should be required to fulfill the priority parking permit requirements but freshman should not have to since they are required to live in the dorms and priority parking spaces are the closes spots available to the dorms.

Freshman students should not have to uphold certain requirements for a priority parking spot because if they did not have to, it would allow for more parking spots to be available. According the University of Oklahoma Student Handbook, “All single freshmen students under 20 years of age must live in a University residence hall for the academic year except for those who have earned 24 or more hours of college credit in residence or have already lived in University residence halls for two semesters” (OU Housing Policy). It is rare to find a freshman student who is not under 20 or has 24 or more college credit hours; therefore, the vast majority of freshmen have to live in the dorm provided by the university. Since the university requires freshmen to live in the dorms, freshmen should at least be able to pick where they want to park.

As a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, I have found myself driving around, longer than I should have to, to find a parking spot even remotely close to the dorms. The worst part about driving around to find an available parking spot is driving past multiple priority parking spaces that are not being used. Taking away priority parking completely would solve this problem of not being able to find a parking spot close to the dorms and it would allow for more parking spots to be available to those freshmen in need of one.

Not requiring freshmen students to uphold certain requirements in order to purchase a priority parking spot would allow equality among the students. According the University of Oklahoma parking website, “The criteria for a priority housing permit is living in the university residence halls, having lived in the university residence halls the previous two semesters and 24 hours of college credit” (ou.edu/parking). This would seem fair to those who have had the opportunity to take college courses at their home high schools, however, this is not the case for all OU students. According to Kati Kassing, a freshman student currently attending the University of Oklahoma, “At my home high school, Prince of Peace Christian School in Plano, Texas, we did not have the opportunity to take college classes while we were in high school..

I would love to be able to park in priority parking but I know, due to the requirements, that I would not qualify” (personal interview). This just shows how unfair students are being treated concerning the requirements for students to purchase priority parking. There are so many unused priority parking spots and by the looks of it, students are not purchasing priority parking spots because they were not given the opportunity to fulfill the priority parking permit requirements such as, completing 24 hours of college credit. It is not fair to reward those who maybe came from more fortunate high schools than others and it is not fair to punish those who attended less fortunate high schools.

Not requiring freshmen students to pay for priority parking would allow students to have a safer walk to the dorms. There has been multiple times that students have not been able to find a parking spot at night and they would have to parking clear out away from the dorms. Some students do not even want to leave the dorms to go to the store to get groceries because they feel they will not be able to find a close parking spot and have to carry their groceries a far distance. In an interview, Kristine Arning, a University of Oklahoma freshmen student claimed, “One night during the weekend I forgot to go grocery shopping and had to make a late night run to Target. My roommate was gone so I had to go grocery shopping by myself. I did not think of it as a big deal until I got back to campus and could not find a parking spot available for me to park in, so I had to park far away. It took me two trips to the dorms and back to my car until I finally gave up. I was tired and freaked out being myself so I just left the rest of my groceries in my car” (personal interview). It is unacceptable for students to have to make multiple trips to and from their car just to haul their groceries in.

It is also unacceptable for students to feel unsafe walking to and from their cars. February 11, 2013, two convicts escaped from a county jail and all Norman public schools were on lock down (oudaily.com). Students should not have to feel afraid to walk a far distance because of this, especially when they’re just trying to get into their dorms. Taking away priority parking would allow for more parking spots to be available and would prevent students from feeling unsafe when they have to walk a far distance to their dorms.

While it seems completely unfair to some students to have to have a certain number of college credits in order to even qualify for a priority parking permit, other students may think otherwise. Students that have earned the opportunity to purchase a priority parking permit may think that it is their right to be able to receive that parking space, which might be true. However, as stated earlier, not all students have the same and equal opportunities as other OU students. So, are we going to punish those who were not able to take college classes in their high schools? This does not seem like a very fair judgment. Students cannot change what high schools they come from. Half the students that attend the University of Oklahoma wish they could forget high school and start over, but the requirements for priority parking reminds these students of where they came from and how they were maybe less fortunate than the other students who do qualify for a priority parking permit.

Although there may be some who disagree, there are many more positive outcomes than negative that can come from taking away the requirements from priority parking. It would provide more parking spots to freshmen who live in the dorms. Since every freshman is required to live in the dorms, they should at least be provided with an opportunity to park close to where they live. It would promote equality among the freshman students at the University of Oklahoma. Since we all attend the same school, we should all have an equal opportunity to park close to the dorms, not just those who attended more fortunate schools that gave their students the option to take college courses. And lastly, it would provide more of an opportunity to have safe walk to dorms from the student’s car and also prevent the student from being afraid to walk back alone. All of these are positive outcomes of completely taking away requirements to purchase a priority parking permit. Providing more parking spots, equality among the students, and a safer walk around campus, are all great ways to improve the University of Oklahoma as a whole. Taking away priority parking requirements is the best all-around solution for the university to provide more available parking spaces to freshmen students.