Freshman Samantha Malone began her first year here at Fairfield with the ambitious attitude all academic advisors encourage. Planning to pursue a program in pre-law, she knew getting started at a job her sophomore year would be to her advantage.
These career ambitions recently became more difficult for Malone due to a new University rule: As of next year, sophomores can not have cars on campus.
‘They tell us to start getting involved with our majors early,’ she said. ‘I want to get a pre-law internship. How am I going to do that now?’
At the start of the 2009-2010 school year, the popular perk of being a sophomore will be drastically adjusted at the authoritative hands of the Department of Public Safety.
Having a car on campus is something many freshmen anticipate through their first two semesters here at Fairfield. For some, their first year included jealously hearing about friends at schools such as Hofstra University, University of Massachusetts and many SUNY schools already permitted to have cars on campus.
Now, another envious year lies ahead for the class of 2012.
‘I feel like I had more freedom in high school,’ said Courtney Monaghan ’12. ‘It’s college, yet it’s like I’m stuck in a bubble that I can’t get out of.’
The decision was made after the University completed a comprehensive parking study from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB), a firm that specializes in transportation, according to Director of Public Safety Todd Pelazza.
‘The only exceptions will be for medical reasons or extreme family emergencies,’ he said. ‘Also, sophomore nursing students who have clinical during the spring semester.’
Public Safety’s Parking Operations Assistant MaryAnn DeMasi said the decision is final, though the University has not yet circulated a campus-wide notification.
There are numerous explanations as to why sophomores can no longer have this coveted privilege, according to DeMasi.
First, Fairfield is attempting to accommodate the lack of living space for incoming freshmen by building new dorms. These dorms will be built on the current site of several parking lots on campus.’
The developing ‘go green’ initiative that is spreading throughout the campus community also played a part in the decision. The administration as a whole is attempting to make our campus environmentally friendly through low impact changes in practice.
‘ Fewer cars on campus means less pollution, which builds upon the University’s other initiatives toward establishing a more comprehensive look at energy and resource usage, including a cohesive recycling system and tracking water use.
Bike racks are also beginning to be installed in the Quad area in an attempt to provide alternative modes of transportation.
Some student opponents of the new parking policy change believe that having a car on campus has its advantages when the weather looks less than promising. Yet, the administration believes that when students are driving from point A to point B on an everyday basis, it becomes a bit excessive.
‘Fairfield is a pedestrian campus,’ DeMasi said, ‘and the University wants to keep it this way.’
The limitations on parking will also allow construction on new housing projects to begin in the coming months, freeing up space where current parking lots exist.
Yet, not all students can see the future benefits of removing cars from campus.
‘If I knew about this policy while I was making my college decision, it definitely would have been a factor,’ said Katie Scarlata ’12.
‘ When FUSA President Jeff Seiser heard of this decision in early June, his first move was to create a Student Association Parking Committee.
This group will work with faculty and administrators to compensate for the lack of transportation.
‘ ‘It is a major issue and something FUSA needs to address in order to be considered a legitimate voice of the student body,’ said Seiser.
Current sophomores who missed the ban seem to be breathing a collective sigh of relief.
‘I live in Vermont which is five hours away from Fairfield,’ said Kelsey Francis ’11. ‘If the school was to tell my parents they had to waste 10 hours of their day picking me up for breaks again, I’d be furious.
‘It’s bad enough we had to go through it freshman year,’ she said.
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