201314parkingBy Kylie Noltemeyer–

Finding a good parking spot on campus can sometimes seem like one of the most challenging parts of the day. Going up and down the aisles can become almost hair pulling experience that could leave anyone frazzled. That is why students were so excited about the new residential parking lot opening up in between Bettie Johnson and Kurz Halls.

The parking lot had been in the works since 2009. At the beginning of the fall 2013 semester, a little over half of the parking lot was available for student use. Then, with only a few exceptions, the remainder of the spots became available for students to use in early December. This yellow residential parking lot, with a few faculty blue areas, is made up of nearly 1000 spots, making it much easier for students to find parking.

No existing residential areas in the lot made the switch to faculty areas when the full lot became available to students.

The feedback on the new parking lot has been highly positive. Freshman Karina Baldwin could not wait to begin taking advantage of this new parking lot. Baldwin said, “I was very excited about the new lot opening up. Not only does it look nice, but I love not having to walk so far to get to my car.”

Sophomore Sophie St. Martin agreed, saying, “The search for spots has become much easier since the new parking lot opened up. It is nice especially with the weather being so cold lately that my car is conveniently closer.”

The addition was clearly a success in the eyes of the majority of U of L’s residents. Despite its favorable views, the parking lot office has commented that to their knowledge, this will be the only parking lot addition on campus for a while. This parking lot with its 1000 spots, will definitely do for now though.