Editorial: Alito event parking

Last Wednesday, Campus Safety Services shut down the Belvoir parking lot for an event featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. While closing down the lot was purposely done for sercurity reasons, it created a much larger problem.

After completely blocking the Belvoir entrance, CSS failed to explain where the shuttle lot parking was located.
In turn, many students were late to class because they could not find the shuttle lot or had to park on side streets farther away. CSS needs to not only communicate where certain parking is in the future but also educate students well in advance about where alternative parking will specifically be located.
In a campus-wide e-mail sent out by CSS, it was merely stated that the Belvoir lot would be closing on April 8 and 9 and that students who had cars in those spaces would have to remove their vehicles in order to accommodate security and dignitary concerns.

The confusion of parking could have been easily avoided if CSS had simply added in the e-mail specifically where parking could be found. The e-mail could have also included information about the temporary lot at Temple Emanu El on Green Road,  the shuttle, and the times in which they would be making rounds.

 Also, on the day of the event, CSS could utilize its staff in directing incoming traffic and being resources for those who are unfamiliar with the campus and alternative parking areas. While it’s understandable that CSS’s main priority would be to accommodate Alito and other visitors, it’s also important to not forget about helping and assisting students.

In the future, CSS needs to take into consideration the importance of students being able to effectively get to campus when large events are being hosted, rather than act as if the event is the only major thing that needs its attention. This would help eliminate students having to park on South Belvoir Boulevard in the one-hour parking spots,which, in some cases, caused them to receive a parking ticket.