By Holly Carr, Staff Writer

On July 13 the commuter parking lot located west of the Davidson Building and Heard Hall was closed to prepare for  the construction of UMHB’s new science lab building. On the first day of classes student commuters noticed a problem with parking, with the number of parking spaces being unmatched to the number of cars arriving to campus. 

“We’ve had a lot of parking issues in all the years that I’ve been here. But I don’t remember it being this bad,” Krystina Mika, a senior Psychology major said. 

The lot currently under construction previously had 158 student parking spaces, including two ADA-accessible spaces and 20 faculty/staff spaces. While that lot is unavailable due to construction, Lot D, which is located at the corner of King St., and Martin Luther King Jr. Ave has been made available as an alternative and provides 168 spaces for students. Despite these spots being available students still have complaints. “I can’t park by Parker, but sometimes I get lucky and find parking close by,” Bry Kurth, an English major said, “I now try to leave 30 minutes before class to find parking.”

Some UMHB staff and professors have also had difficulties finding parking, even though King Street changed to a staff-only parking lot over the summer. Marshall Johnston, a Political Science professor, said, “I recognized that I could drive up last year, same class, same time, and park with plenty of spots. Now, I realize I might have to park somewhere else, further.” 

The new science building is estimated to be finished in 2028, and following that, Heard and Davidson will be torn down and converted into parking lots for staff and students.