NORFOLK, Va. — Editor's note: Reporter Anne Sparaco's full report on this story airs tonight at 6 p.m. on 13News Now.
In the last few months, almost half a dozen Norfolk State University (NSU) students have reached out to 13News Now about the same problem: parking on campus.
Many said they can't park close to their dorm room where they feel safe. One senior political science major, who didn't want to be named, has noticed the lack of parking available for students like herself.
"Every Norfolk State student knows that after 6 p.m., nine times out of ten, you're not going to get a parking spot," she said.
NSU recently announced more than 1,300 freshmen started this year with an additional 345 transfer students. That's a 17% increase in enrollment this year, but more students mean fewer parking spaces.
The student who spoke to 13News Now said the parking challenges aren't worth the cost.
"I'm bringing my car on campus, I'm paying to have my car on campus, and even with me paying to have my car on campus, I can't park anywhere I would like to park, especially adjacent to my dorm room," she said.
"I'm a college student. I work full time, I go to school full time, and sometimes I don't have the money to pay that extra parking fine."
Finances and convenience aside, the safety concern is driving the students' frustration, since many are pushed to rely on street parking.
"A lot of times, I would have to call some of my guy friends and ask them to walk me back to campus because I don't feel safe," she said. "I feel like it isn't fair for students to have to park off campus and also risk the safety of their cars getting broken into."
The senior said others in student government and other organizations have confronted NSU administrators about the parking issue but haven't found a middle ground.
"We understand that Rome wasn't built in one day; however, we want something that is more convenient for us, especially for the amount of money we're paying to go here, and something that'll keep us safe," she said. "Because the break-ins we've had on campus, I guarantee you, they wouldn't have happened if we had adequate parking and adequate security on this campus."
13News Now reached out to Norfolk State University about the concern. A spokesperson sent this statement:
"Norfolk State University is committed to providing the best student experience possible. The parking department is aware of parking concerns, particularly concerning the perception of a lack of available parking for the Spartan Suites (SS) and Residential Complex (RC) housing facilities.
The Office of Parking Services would like to highlight and educate our customers on the difference between the most convenient parking and available parking. Based on recent parking studies and an evaluation of our current parking supply, ample parking is available to facilitate the demand for Spartan Suites and RC residents.
However, from a walk-time perspective, a significant portion of the available parking for SS and RC is located further away from those residential facilities. This should not be confused with a lack of parking in general. We do understand that our residential students would like and are deserving of parking within reasonable walking distance from their residence.
As a strategy for the short term, our department has decided to aggressively consider reallocating parking area(s) that are closer to SS and RC to be designated for the sole use of SS and RC residents. Additionally, parking services look forward to continuing open dialogue between our department and the Student Advisory Group to serve our student body and campus communities better."
