If you haven’t checked your Eagle Mail in a while, you probably should. Along with the same monthly emails about RAD classes and your weekly canvas updates, you’ll find an email from housing about the new policies with student parking during the FGCU basketball games.
Yeah, yeah, we got this email last year.
But wait, there’s a second page.
On the second page, there’s a letter from Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. James Rollo, who adds a fun new policy to the usual “please move your cars for the fans” email. In the third paragraph, just below the “Gameday Parking Plan” header, in underlined text, it reads: “Vehicles not removed from the closed lots will be subject to ticketing.”
Excuse me, what?
Oh yes, that’s right baby birds. Park in front of your dorm? Prepare to pay the fine.
Students parked in front of dorms on the East of the gate in front of the waterfront, that means Sandpiper, Falcon, Egret, Pelican, Cypress, Mangrove and Oak have to move their cars to either other spots in North Lake (trust me there aren’t many to begin with) or to Parking Garage 1 or 8.
This new policy is absolutely ridiculous.
North Lake residents pay thousands upon thousands of dollars just to live (and park) at these dorms every semester. Now that we have a boat load of nonstudents coming for a game, we have to move? We have every right to park in our designated parking spots without having to worry about a ticket.
In the letter, Rollo adds that the school expects approximately 3,500 fans each game. Instead of spending the money to pay for the man hours of going to each “illegally parked car,” and delivering a ticket, why not provide shuttles to accommodate fans that should be parking in extra parking lots an garages that are rarely used? How about that parking garage next to the music building? How about the dirt lot next to Sudgen?
According to the “master plan,” eventually, a parking garage will replace the small auxiliary lot that sits next to the Aquatic Center, but for now, FGCU has no near future plans of increasing it’s parking. For now, forcing it’s residents to move just seems like a better idea.
Trust me, I’m a huge fan of FGCU basketball and I am in full support of its growing fan base and rise in national attention, but the school is not adapting well. Now along with many other growing pains this school has been faced with in the past few years, again the students pay the price (literally). Last year it was asked of students to help out and move their cars and many of us did. This year, it’s no longer an option, and now for me (along with several irrelevant factors), my continued residence with FGCU is an option.
These people pay $7 per game and nothing for parking. We pay at least $700 a month.
As a housing resident, I am outraged. As a student I am baffled. As a fan I am hurt.
If FGCU wants student support at games, then they should remember the fans that where here first. We were here before the lights and cameras, we were here before the bandwagon and Sports Center Top 10 plays, we were here before Dunk City was ever a thing.
Support your students, FGCU. We deserve to park where we live.