Washtenaw Community College's record high enrollment causes parking crunch

Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, drivers circled the lots. They parked on the grass and in fire lanes. Some students hustling to class said it takes them 30 to 45 minutes to find a space.

Business major Alex Kuchta, 19, said he doesn't have trouble parking before his first class around 8:30 a.m., adding, "Usually the first week is the worst."

"They could use another lot," Kuchta said. "But that's not possible."

To ease the crunch, WCC is shuttling in about 100 of its instructors from off-site lots at Eastern Michigan University. The college also is promoting $10 per semester bus passes for students for unlimited rides on Ann Arbor Transportation Authority routes. So far, 1,000 passes have been sold.

Enrollment at WCC stands at 13,800 students and climbing, said Janet Hawkins, associate director of public affairs. Last year around this time, about 12,400 students were enrolled at WCC. The fall semester began Aug. 28.

Ron Schebil, director of campus safety and security, said parking is naturally more competitive this year with the added students, and fender benders and scrapes are on the rise. Schebil added the rush for parking is most intense in the first few weeks of each new semester, with students on campus for reasons beyond class times, such as buying books or paying tuition.

Campus safety and security officers are ticketing vehicles parked in the fire lanes and other "no parking" zones, Schebil said.

"We've been issuing tickets in those areas since the first day," he said.

The worst times for parking are between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m on weekdays, Schebil said. He recommended drivers look for spots on the east side of campus in front of the Morris Lawrence building during those times.

"But my best advice is to take advantage of the bus passes," Schebil said.

Not all students are willing to bus to school.

"They offer a bus pass, but you have to get up extra early to get here, and go all around the city to get to school," said Trey Wixson, 18, a criminal justice freshman. "I really don't want to do that."

So Wixson drives to class, but it took him 45 minutes to find a parking spot one day last week.

"They need more parking spots. They need to figure out something," he said.

Hawkins said building a new parking structure is cost prohibitive.

Instead, she said, "We're trying to look at creative ways of scheduling classes and helping students get to and from class that will work around those jams."

For instance, more evening and weekend classes could be offered, and twice weekly classes could be structured to have one day on campus and the other online, she said. 

Additional satellite sites also are being considered. Already, WCC hosts classes at two sites in Livingston County, and classes in Chelsea were recently added to better serve western Washtenaw County, Hawkins said.

Photos by Angela Cesere, AnnArbor.com: The parking crunch at WCC was evident Tuesday.

Juliana Keeping covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528.