By Brandi Stevens
Imagine arriving to campus ten minutes before your class begins. Seems like plenty of time to get to class, right? You drive around to look for a parking spot and before you know it, 20 minutes goes by! At this point, you still haven’t found a spot, you’re already late to class, so you just decide to go home.
This has most likely been the experience of many students at Tallahassee Community College. This has been my experience quite a few times in fact. I struggle with parking on campus almost daily. I’ve gotten frustrated, yelled, even hit the steering wheel in anger! At first, I figured I was the only one struggling. I now know that I am not the only one who has these frustrations.
Second-year TCC student Lexie Goodson says she has trouble with parking on campus.
“It’s terrible. I’ve spent 25 minutes looking for a spot at one point and ended up being five minutes late to class,” Goodson said.
It’s not just finding a spot, it’s fighting others for spots as well.
Taylor Branch, who is also a second-year student, hasn’t had the best experiences with other drivers in the parking lot.
“Just today I was waiting for someone to back up so I could have their spot,” Branch said. “As I was about to pull in, someone came from behind me and stole it.”
I believe almost every student who drives to campus has gone through similar scenarios in the parking lot. When I think about parking at TCC, the first thing that comes to mind is “It’s awful, it’s terrible.” There is a parking garage, overflow parking, and I still have trouble finding a spot. I wonder sometimes why it seems like the school has done nothing to help students. Maybe it’s not the parking that’s the problem, maybe it’s me? While there are students like myself who have trouble finding a spot and getting to class on time; there are probably just as many students who do not have problems and have always been on time.
Taylor Branch is one of these people. Even with her trouble fighting other students for a spot, Branch has always found a way to be on time.
“I like to plan things, and I always plan to get to school early,” Branch said. “It’s worked for me so far, I’ve never been late to class.”
Greg Gibson, the sergeant of the TCC police department, agrees that planning will help students with parking.
“You have to show up early, you can’t wait until the last minute,” Gibson said, “You have to anticipate that you are going to have to find a spot that might not be close to your class and expect that you’re going to have to walk.”
Gibson says the scheduling of your classes can mean easier parking access.
“The bulk of our students are on campus from 10am-2pm,” Gibson said. “If you’re in a crunch for time, you may want to think about scheduling classes early in the morning or late in the day.”
Now, I am a naturally late person. On my best days, I arrive to campus no more than 10 minutes before class. Maybe I’m crazy to think I can find a spot and walk to class in that time frame, but I still attempt to. For a late straggler like myself, the TCC parking lot may always remain a problem. Though, it is possible to beat the heat if you play it smart.
Safety Tips from Sergeant Greg Gibson
- Be mindful of 15mph speed limit
- Look both directions when backing out of a parking spot
- Obey stop signs
- Beware of pedestrians walking in the parking lot
- Always wear your seatbelt
For more information about TCC parking and safety on campus, feel free to contact the TCC police Department at 850-201-6100.
