It’s about time to complain about a new issue: parking. While this is far from a new problem amongst Bloomsburg students and faculty alike, it is a problem now more than ever with less parking being available as a result of the ongoing construction around campus.

Let’s start with parking, shall we? I don’t even have a car on campus and yet this is a still an issue that annoys me. I like to refer to it as second-hand annoyance. I hear people complain and see posts on Facebook almost daily about the parking situation around campus.

Many students, especially freshmen are familiar with the infamous Blue Lot, that is about as far onto upper campus as it can get.

The shuttle buses don’t even stop there, you must get on and off at the JKA community building. If you are unlucky enough to have to park at the end of the lot, I hope you have a lot of time because the walk to the bus stop is lengthy.

Now obviously the length of the journey may vary based on the pep in your step and the timing of the buses. However, upon making the trek to blue lot with my roommate the other night, it was almost an hour-long process.

From the time it took to leave our dorm, walk to her car, drive up, walk to the bus stop, wait for the bus, and then walk back from the library bus stop took about 55 minutes. Yes, I timed it. This leads to another issue: the shuttle buses.

Obviously, the shuttle buses are a necessary service to take students to and from upper campus, as well as the other various stops that the buses periodically make. I personally do not utilize this on a regular basis because I don’t need to, but it is my understanding that they are not always reliable to be on time.

I guess that is a chance you have to take if you live on upper campus. I have a friend in JKA who has told me on multiple occasions that he has had to walk back to his apartment from lower campus because the buses aren’t running, and while it is important to note the schedule, sometimes students’ lives are not conducive to that and they are on campus into the late hours of the evening.

Because of the buses not running as late on the weekends as they do during the week, this does not allow students to partake in the some of the on-campus activities that take place beyond 11pm on the weekends.
While many people do have cars, not everyone has the flexibility to just drive down and not have to worry about.

While I do like the convenience of being on campus, I really cannot wait to live in my apartment off-campus next year. Living in a dorm is great when you are a freshman, and it is even fine when you’re a sophomore, but as I have quickly noticed it is becoming the time, I need my own space.     

I don’t want to have to wake up at 5 a.m. just because my roommate has to get to her clinical. Living in a dorm is only good for so long, but I feel it has reached its expiration date and I’m ready to not deal with all the crap that comes with living in such close proximity to so many people.

Lauren is a sophomore Graphic Design major, a member of the Catholic Campus Ministry, and a Staff Writer for The Voice.