Parking: an elegy

By Phoebe Terry 

Co-Editor 

I rise before most of the world has thought about rousing. Through sleepy eyes and with tired hands, I grab my steering wheel and set off on the path that leads toward the betterment of my life. 

Through countless setbacks and obstacles, I rise every morning just the same only one thing stands in my way; cones. 

Parking is difficult enough at a college, but every once in a while the world seems to think there isn’t enough of a challenge and decides that cones need to be placed in seemingly half of the parking spots of an entire parking lot making what was once a difficult and annoying, but accomplishable task into slaying a metaphorical dragon made of plastic and vulcanized rubber. 

Of course, a student could just get to school earlier, and that would solve any parking problems they may encounter; well not if they’re disabled or happen to have any trouble walking the quarter mile to class and back. 

Because of the lack of parking spots, some people have decided that they are suddenly entitled to park in a disabled spot, and I’m all for some healthy civil disobedience but these students are only hurting the people who need good parking the most. 

Compounding this issue is the construction all over the Washington Street Campus. AC may well be almost half metal fence and hard hat at this point. Construction has closed two parking lots and taken up a large number of parking spots in another. I’m overjoyed that with the opening of the First Bank Southwest Center, more parking will be added near the park, but that cannot atone for the many unplanned hikes students have had to take to class and back. 

A hike that gets turned into a climb if the elevator happens to be broken that day and the students’ class is on the 4th floor of Byrd or Parcells, I might add. 

Obviously, parking is one of the most complained about issues at any college. The stresses of hundreds to thousands of students descending on an institution looking for a place to put their cars while they go to class would overwhelm anyone. 

I also cannot discount the fact that AC does not charge for parking while some other colleges charge $150-$200, and for that, I am forever grateful. I promise I’m not mad Amarillo College. I’m just a little disappointed.