Seniors Squeezed out as Juniors Take Parking Spots
May 30, 2017
Seniors are struggling to find parking as the Campolindo Cabana Club (CCC) lot has been closed weekly on garbage day mornings since May 1, when the club opened for the summer, according to attendance secretary Jaylene Watson.
Juniors who previously parked in the CCC lot have migrated to the senior lot.
Vice principal Jonathan Drury said campus supervisor Sue Frederich “checks the parking lot all the time” to guard against juniors taking senior spots. “Every day we call students in and do all those things, have them move their cars. I know it’s a difficult thing because we have juniors parking back there, and it is difficult to identify cars that pull in, especially with 4 ways that cars can pull in, but we’re trying our best because I know there are seniors who are kinda getting squeezed out on spots,” he said.
The Campolindo Student Handbook states the punishment for parking in the student lot without a pass is “detention and a loss of parking privileges.”
“I knew [the juniors] were always parking there, but maybe the last month or so, I feel like they have been more because it’s so close to the end of the year it doesn’t matter,” said senior Julie Waters. “It makes me late to class because it takes me longer to get a spot and I have to park further away, which means it takes longer to walk, when my first class is on the opposite side of the campus. I don’t believe I need to [leave earlier to get to school]. If I paid for a spot, I should have a spot, especially since it was 50 bucks. Plus, I waited until my senior year. I should have the same respect.”
Having paid for parking spots in the student lot, displaced seniors are not happy.
“I started noticing [the lack of parking spots] towards middle of 2nd semester because a few of my friends have been having to park all the way up the street because they have 2nd period as their 1st period, so all the parking spots were full, and they paid $50 for that spot and they have to park all the way down the street,” said senior AJ Donninelli.
Some juniors place the blame on the closure of the CCC lot. “[The CCC lot being closed weekly is] really annoying. And it causes stress. And that’s why people park in the senior lot, because no one wants to park really far away,” said junior Grace Huber.
“Students should respect the rules and park where they should be so that the seniors have those spots,” added Drury.
Watson said the CCC lot will be closed regularly on Wednesday mornings, potentially increasing the number of underclassmen parking in the senior lot before school. “The CCC lot is owned by the Campolindo Cabana Club. Only half of the lot is district property. The Cabana Club allows students to use it during their off season. In May, the lot has been packed, sometimes triple parked. On garbage day, the lock has been locked down in order for the dumpsters to be emptied,” Watson said.
“I understand if there’s a reason to close the [CCC] lot, I understand that, but I think it makes it a lot more difficult for all grades because the sophomores and juniors have to park really, really far and that makes some of them park in the senior lot, so the seniors can’t park there,” said senior Jaime Brown. “I don’t have a 1st period so I come to school later, which can be difficult because usually the parking lot is filled up. I think it became an issue in the last couple of months. I think more juniors park in the parking lot now than they used to.”
Some students have noticed an abundance of available spots in the staff area of the parking lot, while some teachers park along the road next to the school. “I don’t want to just blame the teachers, but I think there’s definitely a lot of empty [teacher] spots every day, which can be annoying if you’re trying to find a spot and there’s a lot of spots open that you know you can’t take,” said Brown.
“I think the staff should, at the beginning of the year, maybe say ‘I want to use this spot’ or not, and then whatever spots are not used, then they can go to the seniors,” added Waters.
