If parking at Central Connecticut State University were a sport, commuters would be the varsity athletes. For those early morning classes, students find themselves circling the parking lots and garages, eagerly waiting for someone to leave so that they can finally snag a spot.  

CCSU has multiple parking garages that are shared between faculty, commuters, and residents. Of that demographic, 70% of the student body is made up of commuters.  

The parking garages typically fill up by 9 a.m., and those tight parking spaces leave no room for error when it comes to squeezing into that last parking spot.   

Commuters at CCSU weighed in with their parking experiences, from running late to classes looking for a parking spot or even getting tickets from campus police for parking in the wrong areas.  

Abigail Grier, a freshman, said she’s seen the difficulty of finding parking at Central within her first year, especially around 9 a.m. She uses Uber to get to school, but when driving with friends, it’s challenging to secure a spot. 

“If you have 9 a.m. [classes], that is horrible because you definitely have to go up and down the floors just to find parking,” Grier said.  

It is common for students to be late to class because of the time spent trying to find parking. In addition to the challenge of finding parking, students are also concerned about the safety of their car when fitting around the narrow corners of the parking garage.  

Grier said tight spaces and large vehicles make an already difficult task even more challenging.   

“Sometimes people drive too close, so you have to go wider, but there’s not that much space or even people that drive trucks. You try to stay close to the side but can’t because they need more room to maneuver,” she said.  

These challenges are part of the commuter experience, and Grier is not the only student who has experienced these problems at CCSU. As more students share their stories, one thing is clear. At CCSU, finding a parking spot is like a daily gamble, and the odds are not in your favor. 

Alexandra Chudz, a junior, has noticed these issues. 

She normally has to park in the garage that is farthest from her classes to find parking.  

“The Willard parking garage is always packed,” she said. “I spend five to 10 minutes looking for a parking spot.”  

She admits that finding a parking spot has made her late to class on multiple occasions and suggests that a commuter-only parking garage may help ease this parking panic.  

Outside of the daily parking struggle, students also have to worry about parking tickets. As Chudz said, “I got a warning, but my friend recently got a ticket because she didn’t know where she could park.” 

CCSU categorizes its parking situation by colors. The spots with the yellow stripe are designated for faculty and staff. Red is for commuters and visitors. Green is for dorm students. Each vehicle in a parking garage should be registered and display a decal corresponding to its color.  

Chudz has to adjust her schedule to what’s realistically available when looking for parking. 

“My commute is really close [10 minutes], which makes it easier, but I still leave 30 minutes early to find a spot,” she said.