Shelby McNeal, Special to The Denisonian–
First Year Quad moved all first-year students to East Quad and eliminated the need for a freshman parking lot down the hill. Now, upperclassman students must compete for convenient spots, and when those fill up, many students must park in the old freshman lot on Ebaugh Drive. This year, there are only two parking zones: one for the North, South, and West quads (the “yellow parking zone”) and one for East (the “green parking zone”). With only upperclassmen living on North, South, and West quads, the parking demand is much higher near these residence halls than in years past.
Despite Silverstein apartments being restricted to senior students, the Silverstein parking lot is now available to any student with a yellow parking tag, and it fills up quickly, especially at the end of the day.
To address parking concerns, the Denison Campus Governance Association held a town hall on Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Curtis Dining Hall. The meeting was open to all students, and David Rose, Director of Campus Safety, was there to provide context on parking decisions and hear student feedback.
Rose discussed the importance of saving parking spaces for faculty and staff, particularly in the Olin lot. He confirmed that changing the Olin lot from faculty parking to student parking is not currently an option. Building a new parking lot is not currently an option either, due to cost and Denison’s terrain.
Rose emphasized to attendees that there are enough parking spaces for all Denison students with parking permits.
The distribution of available parking spots across campus remains an issue with some upperclassmen, as they have found it hard to park near their residence halls.
Josie Hansen ‘26 suggested making the Silverstein lot for seniors only.
“As seniors, our meal plans are designed so we can go grocery shopping and go off campus to eat… and to have to park down by Ebaugh and lug our groceries back up the hill is very inconvenient,” said Hansen.
Emma Bradford ‘28, a Shorney resident, said, “I literally can never find a spot. And when I do, it’s in the Silverstein lot, and then I feel bad because seniors should get to park there.”
But when the Silverstein lot is full, Bradford also has to go back to parking in the old freshman lot, where she spent last year parking.
“Last year I lived in Crawford and I had to park in the freshman lot. That’s how it should be,” said Bradford.
First-years are now allowed to park right outside of their dorms with no long trek up the hill required to get to and from their cars. First-years are sometimes able to get spots closer to their dorms than upperclassmen. Before the First Year Quad, this was never the case.
Sofia Monteleone ‘26 said, “In my opinion, the source of the problem is the First Year Quad.”
Monteleone explained that even if they reinforced previous parking rules and required first years to park in the Ebaugh lot, this would not solve any issues because the demand for spots on West Quad would still be too high.
“I kind of think it’s a necessary evil if Denison wants to continue with First Year Quad,” said Monteleone.
Campus Safety offers safe rides from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, giving students a safe way to get back to their dorms when convenient parking isn’t available.