By Mike Coppolino
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – If you are a Camden County College student, you have probably heard the million dollar question before; where did you park today?
Whether it’s asking your friend how far away they parked or asking another student so you can hopefully park in their spot, that is always the question around the CCC parking lots. Parking has become such an issue for students and even faculty members that some people are late and even miss class because they are not able to find a parking spot.
Some students, like C.J. Burns, a communications major here at the college, even had to resort to parking in yellow spots that are not designated for students with regular parking.
“I drove around for 20 minutes trying to find a spot and nothing was opening up,” Burns stated. “I just had to risk parking in the yellow because if I was any later for class I would have been marked absent.”
This has been an ongoing issue and some students are very upset and want to know what the college is going to do.
John Schuck, the captain for public safety at the college, said the college has a project in the works.
“Beginning in the summer of 2010, Camden County College began an exciting new construction project referred to as the Ring Road project. The construction of the Ring Road will allow for much easier ingress and egress of vehicles onto the Blackwood campus and is necessary in the future development of our new science building,” Schuck said. “Rest assured, the college has done its due diligence in ensuring that there is adequate parking for all of its students.”
As to whether the parking lots were sufficient for the size of the college Schuck said, “Several times each year Public Safety conducts vehicle counts and makes a comparison of the total amount of vehicles on campus and compares that number to the total amount of available parking spaces. Opening the satellite parking area adjacent to our campus was a result of these surveys.”
Schuck, the public safety department and the college recommend that students arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of their class to find a spot on time and they want to reassure that planning for future parking needs is an ongoing process and the safety of the students will always be the main priority.
A packed parking lot at 9 a.m. causes many students to be late for their classes at this start time. By Mike Coppolino, CCC Journalism Program