Photos by Ezra Clark
Article by Madeline Teeter
NEWBERG, Ore. – Parking is always a concern of students at George Fox University (GFU). As enrollment continues to increase, parking has become scarce.
To combat this issue, a new parking lot has been opened for campus resident use. The Morse Parking Lot, located by the baseball field, is the only location on campus where first-year students are allowed to park. Other residents are allowed to use the lot as well, in addition to other lots permitted to them.
While this lot has created more parking space, parking on Villa Road and Fulton Street has been banned. The question is whether these changes have achieved their purpose or if they have made life more inconvenient for students.
Several first-year students acknowledged that finding parking has become easier since the new lot has opened. The main drawback to the new lot is its distance from all freshman housing.
“Parking in the Morse Lot is just pretty difficult. Having to walk roughly 10-15 minutes anytime you need something from your car is a hassle, especially when it’s super-hot or pouring down rain,” said Emily Meisner. “And while you can always get an escort at night if you want, it’s not the most convenient option and, at least for us girls, you always have to have someone with you.”
Meisner was not the only freshman who had this opinion. “It's difficult at times walking the 0.6 mile walk from my dorm to the Morse Lot, and allot an extra 15 minutes for the walk when I go places,” said Cate Murphy. “Especially with my work schedule, this adjustment has been rocky, and it will probably get worse as the weather turns to constant rain.
Grace Fitzner, a freshman, said that the Morse Lot is especially inconvenient for students living in Edwards and Pennington Hall. “We should be able to park closer to our dorms,” Fitzner said.
First-year students are not the only students who have been impacted by the changes on campus.
“Having the freshman park at Morse is opening up spots for the rest of us,” said Blake Johnston, a junior.
Adam Franks, a sophomore, said: “[Parking] sucked at the start of the year, but now with the Morse Lot open, and all the freshmen having to park there, it has been amazing.”
Other residents have mixed opinions on the change. “There’s not enough parking in the GFU parking area and I don’t understand why we aren’t allowed to park on a public road,” said Reed Jones, a sophomore. Jones also believes that the new Morse Lot has been a positive addition to campus.
The group of students who are experiencing some of the greatest difficulties in finding parking are the commuters. “Even with the new Morse Lot, it can be hard to find parking because residents will park in commuter spaces so that they don’t have to walk as far to class,” said Rylie Wood, a senior commuter. “This has been a real problem, and I have to arrive at campus half an hour early to ensure I can find a parking space as a commuter.”
Several other commuters said they often cannot find parking due to residents parking in commuter spaces. “It is fairly easy to find spots, but at times it can be frustrating when people park in areas that are not for their permit type,” said junior Della Gratsinger.
Isaac Tag, a senior commuter, said: “Commuters make up approximately 50% of the student population and we are forced to use our cars. We should get the best parking!”
As the Morse Lot has not been open for long, it is possible that residents will adjust to their new parking locations. “I am glad that the Morse Lot will hopefully provide residents with more parking spaces so they will stop using commuter spots,” Wood said. “We commuters only have a few lots on campus, and we need the parking because we can’t just walk over from a dorm to class.”
Commuters also reported struggling with parking during Fridays at Fox and other events that bring guests to campus. Because guests are welcome to park in any lot, commuters often lose their only areas for parking.
As students have thought about the changes to parking on campus, some have come up with proposals for new approaches to the problem. One student suggested assigning individual parking spaces per permit, while another student suggested permits being specific to living area rather than what year a student is.
Parking rules change yearly to better suit students’ needs. It remains to be seen whether this system will stand or if GFU will have to find a solution to the new parking problem.
