This semester, Cal State Long Beach has introduced assisted parking, in which students can drop off their cars in designated areas to be parked.
Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) welcomed its largest incoming student body in the school’s history at the beginning of the fall 2019 semester on Aug. 26, according to a post the school’s career center made on its LinkedIn profile.
CSULB President Jane Close Conoley reposted the information and added that CSULB is “committed to enriching our community.”
According to CSULB’s website, this semester’s incoming students outnumber those of the fall 2018 semester by over a thousand. Last fall, CSULB admitted 9,126 new students compared to 10,813 this semester.
Some student’s have said they are worried that the large influx of new students will limit campus resources such as parking.
CSULB officials sent an email to its students on Aug. 21 warning about overcrowded campus parking. According to the email, students can expect the campus parking lots to be especially busy during the first two months of the semester.
The email stated that “traffic on campus is higher than usual during the first eight weeks of the fall semester as individuals purchase books, add or drop courses and perform other administrative activities on campus outside of their normal class schedule.”
Students were also advised to arrive to school early if they want to secure a parking spot. According to an email sent to students, “peak times of campus congestion are 9am -11am and 2pm -5pm.”
Monica Shoufer, an incoming CSULB student who recently transferred from Long Beach City College has been arriving early to campus since it took her half an hour to find parking on her first day of classes.
“I’ve been getting here to school at 7am every morning since the second day of school, due to the first day being a nightmare. The parking is tough if you get here later on in the morning. I got to school at 7:30am and waited 30 minutes just to park.” Shoufer said.
School officials are attempting to alleviate student parking issues is with its new assisted-parking program.
“This option guides individuals to park in an attendant-assisted parking location, drop off their keys in exchange for a vehicle claim ticket and depart immediately to class or other campus destination,” according to a CSULB email sent to students.
However, some students said they have experienced alleged problems after using assisted parking.
“Yeah I think its a little iffy,” an Assossicated Students Incorporated member who identified herself as Daniella said. “Some people have been complaining that their cars have been scratched or damaged, so I guess they’re still testing it.”
As of press time on Thursday, CSULB faculty did not respond to questions from the Signal Tribune.
