Students Caught in Parking Predicament at Bloomfield College

Editor's note: Bloomfield College Beat is a weekly feature written by BC students focusing on life on campus. This week's column is written by junior broadcast journalism major Shanisse Hooper-Hughes.

Adjusting to a new environment is not always easy. As a first-year transfer student, I am still adjusting to Bloomfield College life. The campus is smaller than the previous schools I have attended and there is a comfortable, home-like aura.

So far, all of the students and faculty that I have come in contact with have been very welcoming. The smaller class sizes give me a chance to get to know my professors and my peers on a more personal level. I am impressed by the expertise and professionalism of my professors.

I love my classes and have many positive things to say about the campus. But I don't enjoy the commute because I often have a hard time finding parking. I seem to share this frustration with my classmates. Aleana Offley, a student, said she had been ticketed while parked outside of the library.

"By the grace of God, I haven't gotten any tickets so far this semester," Offley said. "But last semester, I got two for alternate side of the street parking."    

Offley is not the only student to have gotten parking tickets.

"I lost count of how many tickets I have received on campus," said Amira Onibudo, a junior at the college.

Students have the option to purchase a permit to park in the campus lot. But once the lot is full, students must resort to parking on the street where there is a two-hour limit. This can be an inconvenience with a four-hour class or lab. The time limit, in addition to street cleaning hours, makes it difficult to find parking in the vicinity of class.

"It's terrible if you have night classes and you have to park far and walk alone," said Ashley Joseph, a broadcast journalism major.

Besides parking, I am enjoying my overall experience as a Bloomfield College Deacon. Once my car is parked legally, I find myself always looking forward to class.