This year, the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Transportation has instituted a lottery system for parking, which has left many students upset with the unfairness. Many upperclassmen have felt betrayed by the fact that they tried to get a spot but were rejected by the system. Students have formed a unanimous agreement that UNH should change its system. The UNH Transportation Department has declined students' opinions toward their lottery system and is planning to keep it the same and continue to distribute parking spots.
If you didn’t know, the lottery system is where students sign up for spots in certain parking lots, such as the Gables, Woodside, Stafford, and non-resident storage. These spots are chosen randomly. There are no seniority or first-come-first-serve rules, even though they have done that in the past; essentially, they are just picking out of chance.
UNH instilled this system because the rising sophomore residents are signing up for spots, and UNH felt that this would make the process less intense and would help to appoint the spots fairly; upperclassmen don’t feel the same way.
Students who live in off-campus apartments are also not getting parking spots due to this system, which raises the issue of being able to drive to internships that are required for some majors. This system has confused upperclassmen as to why they changed it in the first place. Future students will now find it more difficult to acquire a parking spot than it was. A petition actually started five months ago by an anonymous rising senior in hopes of switching the lottery system back to the original system. This petition has 250 supporters and comments of concern.
“Start with the people who actually need a car for their academic degree, then for those who have jobs, and for those who drive back and forth to home often,” said senior Jayden.
Although there are many concerns with this new lottery system, UNH transportation has only come back with the upcoming construction in the resident East lot.
“We are anticipating 100 additional 'Resident East' spaces in a new extension of E2 lot near Haaland Hall now being prepared,” said Marc Laiberte, the Transportation Services director. He continues that this construction will take a decent amount of time, not being available this academic year, but in the future. He believes this will help the number of students on the waiting list.
But the real question still stands for future academic years: will the lottery system continue to be enforced, or will students rebel and win back the old system?
