Residence hall students are concerned about parking close to the residence halls where they reside. They want to be able to park in a spot throughout the day and particularly late at night that does not pose a long distance walk to their hall. The commuter students come to campus for a short time and desire to have parking available that is reasonably close to central campus so they can get in and out of their classes. The DeKalb resident who does not qualify for a commuter permit has the same needs as the commuter who is required to bring a car to the campus to attend classes. Although parking would seem to be an issue of low importance among student concerns at NIU, volumes of comments made at the town meetings and in a recent survey taken by the Holmes Student Center certainly indicate that parking is considered extremely important.
Communication is of paramount importance.
At present, the only communication a student has when purchasing a permit is a map with the parking lots identified and the rules and regulations printed on the back. Students are not informed of even the most fundamental issues regarding parking and therefore have some unrealistic expectations of available parking spaces. Students must be told where they can park, alternatives they have to driving on campus and some of the reality they will deal with depending on the permit they have purchased. More needs to be done at orientation when new students and transfer students come to Northern for their day on campus. Make parking a positive factor by accurately informing students of some basic facts.