During the 2024-25 school year, campus parking has been a topic of conversation at Frederick Community College, from students getting to campus very early to find parking or parking further from classes.
Students have talked about how parking on campus has been one of the challenges at FCC this year with students describing it as tedious, highlighting the busy morning as the worst time to find parking on campus.
“During morning classes, you have to get here an hour early to find parking,” said TJ McMiller, a second-year student at FCC.
McMiller furthermore described the issues of parking with having to park in the back of lots to avoid chaos. McMiller said, “You park further to not have to wait on people backing out when everyone leaves at the same time.”
First year student Donovan (last name undisclosed) came to the College from Penn State where the university is over ten times larger. He described parking worse here than at Penn State.
Donovan covered how Penn State students had to register for a specific parking spot compared to FCC.
“Parking is worse here since I had a specific spot there, I think it’s a little worse here than there,” Donovan said.
When asked if the six percent increase in student enrollment this year had an effect on parking, Donovan said, “Definitely seems very packed, but I haven’t seen the back lots”.
FCC Does have a parking deck built behind the conference center that allows for more parking to be available on campus. Students at the College mention that the garage helps with finding spots during busy times at the College.
Donovan said, “I normally park in the garage, especially if I’m here in the morning and don’t have anywhere else to park.”
Solutions students have given to improve parking experience would be to expand parking in some lots or students park closer to building they have to be in, as McMiller said “If students could park closer to the building their supposed to be in, or they expand the student center parking”, Some students have backed this up as Donovan believed that these solutions could help the issues a little.
Joshua Newton had a different idea on a solution to help with busy parking.
“They [FCC] should open the teacher’s lot to everybody, there’s a lot of free spots over there,” said Newton.
Newton believed that if The College opened the staff lot during some of the morning classes could be a help the parking at the student center.
Despite an increase of students coming to FCC there seems to be no changes to improve parking in the near future.
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