By Douglas Goldspiel
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – Growth on Camden County College’s campus is leading to new parking and traffic patterns. Many students are not shy about discussing their feelings on how this has affected their time at the CCC Blackwood campus.
Two years ago CCC finally broke ground on what would be the biggest project this campus has seen in a while. The cause of the renovation was to build a new up to date science building for its students. However, this caused a shifting in roads and parking lots because the new building is rising behind the CIM building. After much deliberation the idea of having the campus be completely connected for easier access for students and staff to travel around campus was the final decision. The plan was to have one road circle the campus.
Professor Jamie Myerson states, “It makes getting to each building I need to teach in less of a hassle with everything connected. I can hop in my car and drive to another lot without worrying about the main road.”
However, was the convenience of the new road at a cost of less parking for the students? Andy Marino, a nursing major, feels so. “It took me a half an hour to park,” he said as he rushed to his class. “I pay all this money for school and they can’t seem to make enough parking. It’s ridiculous!”
Brian Mullen, an accounting major, reasoned, “I feel like there not only is less parking for students, but more parking for staff. There is always 20 to 30 staff spots open when I walk past the lots.”
Mullen is correct with this assumption with the addition of more staff parking in lots outside the Madison, CIM and Jefferson buildings.
Student Jojo Jonas states, “Everyone’s just a bunch of babies about this whole parking situation. The issue is not that there’s enough, but that there isn’t enough right by the door. You can park along the road or even out in the dirt parking lot across the street. The issue is you would have to walk a little bit in order to get to your class, which I guess wouldn’t be great in the winter or when it rains, but you can still park.”
A student walks in the lot outside of Madison Hall. Yellow lined spots are staff parking. By Douglas Goldspiel, CCC Journalism Program
The parking situation has certainly improved since the new road around the campus has been created. Ideally everyone wants to park close to the building they have class in. However, unlike the past, students can now park along the road which creates more additional parking spots that didn’t exsist prior to the 2011 fall semester. The dirt lot allows students to park across the street if they can’t find any spots by Madison. With the student body as large as it is, I feel the college is at least making a conserted effort to improve the once treacherous parking situation.