University officials assess parking assignments, issues on campus
By Adrian Kendrick
Feature Editor
Available parking spaces at the University of Indianapolis have become scarce as enrollment numbers have grown, but plans to address this situation are underway.
According to Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Mary Atteberry, by Jan. 1 the parking lot between The Perk and Ruth Lilly Fitness Center will be taken out of service during the expansion of Schwitzer Student Center.
In place of the lost parking spaces, the Physical Plant is opening a temporary lot for faculty and staff where the tennis courts are currently located. The lot will contain 65-70 spots.
Once the Schwitzer expansion is completed in the summer of 2008, the temporary lot will be closed and a new lot will be created.
“Nothing will be gained with the new temporary parking lot for students, but be assured that we are aware parking is an issue, and we are trying to come up with solutions to alleviate that stress,” Atteberry said.
Another parking issue is that some students who live in the residence halls park where commuters are suppose to park, said Vice President for Business and Finance and Treasurer Mike Braughton.
That problem already has been addressed and commuters can now use the parking lot next to the Stierwalt Alumni House.
“We will not reduce the parking that is available here on campus, but we’re actually going to add some spaces,” Braughton said.
According to UIndy President Beverley Pitts, the university asked a small group of people to look into how the parking lots are being used so officials can assess how the university is using the current parking.
“We may be reassigning some new lots or opening up some lots that were not open before. We may put in some temporary gravel lots. We’re doing everything we can,” Pitts said. “[UIndy] added a huge lot last year and this year we added parking with the old car dealership that used to be across the street. The parking situation is a moving target, and we are aware of that.”
According to Atteberry there is a lot of cost involved in building a new parking lot, and UIndy is trying to find some solutions.
“I would like to emphasize that there is a lot of parking space available at Key Stadium that is almost never full, and it is not that far [from campus]. We’re a bit spoiled here [at UIndy] as far as parking goes,” Atteberry said. “We have a small and personal campus, and we are fortunate to have close parking, but we have to consider other options to support the building of other lots.”
According to Pitts, asking students to pay for parking is not on the agenda.
“We want to keep the cost low for students as much as possible, and we will do everything we can to make that happen,” she said.
According to Pitts, the problem is not that UIndy has not addressed the parking situation, but that there are more students who want to be on campus. Students want a parking space when they arrive on campus, which is a difficulty on many college campuses.
“I want everyone to know we are listening. We understand, and we are doing everything we can with trying to be reasonable with students’ money,” Pitts said. “We’re going to do everything we can to address the parking situation but not at [the students’] cost.”
