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This may be attributed to the sheer volume of students and faculty making the trek to campus each day.
Commuter students who didn’t win this fall’s parking lottery, like Pringle, have possibly the greatest parking problem. She had a parking permit as a junior, but didn’t win the lottery this year.

“It takes me an hour to get to campus, and on top of that another 10 to 15 minutes to find a parking spot,” she said. “Sometimes my spot is so far away, it takes me another 10 minutes to get to class.”

Parking has been even worse of late, she said, because half of Englewood Ave. is closed due to street work.

But for those living on campus, parking - with or without a permit - is not as bad.

“I’ve only had a problem once, and even then it only took me around five minutes to find a spot,” said first-year and permit-holder Brittany Kellerman, who lives in the Heights.

Like Kellerman, most students who live on campus don’t have trouble finding parking spaces, because they have the luxury, unlike commuter students, of parking during off-hours and leaving their cars in spaces for days and weeks at a time.

Stephanie Jurewicz, who also lives on campus, doesn’t have a permit, but she agrees with Kellerman.

“The only time it’s really hard to find a spot is midday, because all the commuter students and faculty are looking for spots, too,” Jurewicz said.

The problem of parking and overcrowding in the lots is not going unnoticed. Shirleen Hoffman, director of Safety and Security, is looking into the issue.

“I’m going to be talking to faculty, staff, and students about the issue,” said Hoffman. “I need input from everyone so I can see all the concerns involved. I want to put together the fairest system possible for the rest of this year and for years to come.”

Hoffman has one officer assigned to check parking lots daily for violators, such as people who park in the lots without permits. This sort of violation is not common, she said, but when it does occur, it may force someone who has paid the $120 fee for a permit to park on the street.

Parking rules and regulations are enforced from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and most violations result in a $25 fine.

Even with an officer on duty to check the lots, not every violator can be caught, and many slip through the cracks. Hoffman hopes to change this soon, but for now, parking - for both permit-owners and others - can still be a matter of timing and luck.