By Gierra Cottingham | LTVN Reporter/Anchor
Every year, Baylor’s parking lots and garages sell out due to students’ eagerness to be granted a $365+ parking spot. Although this desire to obtain a designated spot for their vehicle is understandable, students should park for free on a first come, first served basis, as faculty and staff do now.
If you are reading this and have a parking pass, do not worry: Free first come, first served parking is fair for everyone. I believe the absence of a parking guarantee will encourage character development. For example, one time, I purposefully chose a flight that forced me to lay over in a city I wasn’t familiar with for a flight that boarded at 6 a.m. I was tired, not cozy, but still grateful. I have learned that personal discomfort benefits your character, leading you to be more genuine and authentic with a heart for our world.
Life is not perfect, and it is best to adapt yourself to hardship so that when difficulties do unexpectedly occur in life, you are not stressed and repeatedly calling your mom or dad. Free first come, first served parking would give everyone a chance to experience a place to park. It would be a little draining, but that is OK. It helps you realize your capability of conquering tasks and improve your parking skills.
Some students have only morning or evening classes, while others have a combination of both. I bet there are students with garage passes who leave campus for the day at noon, leaving open spots in garages. Students with the opposite schedule would have the wonderful opportunity to park in their spots.
On the other hand, some students never saw a valid point in purchasing a parking pass for a lot or garage that may or may not be near their class. That student is me, and I have survived. To be honest, I did not have a driver’s license as a freshman or sophomore, and when junior year hit and I did get my license, my desire to purchase a parking pass never came about.
Baylor needs to implement free parking on a first come, first served basis across campus. This action would prepare students for the real world and the what-ifs while equalizing the start of everyone’s school day.
