Seton Hall University - Galleon Yearbook (South Orange, NJ)

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i Commuting Cold winter mornings and blaring alarm clocks do little for anybody, especially the commuter who struggles every day just to get to school. Traffic hassles, parking tickets for those who can find park- ing spaces, soaring gas prices, late buses, and even though your first class is at 1 1 a.m., it’s on campus by 9 or else. To over 80 percent of the student body, survival of the fittest is a game played in a parking lot. Some walk, some drive, some let others drive. And when there’s sunny warmth, bicycles and motor- cycles abound. But commuting, the very essence of commuting, calls to mind a picture of cars, vans, jeeps, and then some more cars. Price Hike This year’s commuter found things looking up. Literally. First, a price hike: for a whopping $20 com- muters garnished a blue and white decal that did nothing more than dirty your back window. For a mere $80 more, a suitable arrangement 762 0 $ 4 1 1 d P f P k ? 3 c re 9 ulatl ons, illegally-parked cars were swiftly towed away. (Facing page) Patrolman Francisco Aviles of the Professional Secunty Bureau directs traffic. Lockers, located in the basement of the Student Center were available for commuters. Rush-hour commuters exit campus via the Ward Place gates at 3:30 p m could be worked out — your own reserved parking space. Next, the two- hour parking limit on streets surrounding campus was raised to four hours. This was good news for students who found the price too steep or the spaces too scarce. Flowever, just as on-campus spaces were eliminated by 9 a.m., off-campus spaces were an en- dangered species by 10. Junior Mariruth Kennedy makes her morning trek from Piscataway — a long distance for many, yet she feels that she has the parking problem well in hand, “I set up my classes around parking, believe it or not. I schedule class for when I know 1 can find a space.” Others solve the parking problem another way: they leave their car at home. While local students prefer to walk or ride bicycles to class, some car-pool to campus, alternating the driving responsibilities with fellow students. Those lucky enough to live near train stations or along the local bus routes face other situations. The mass transportation com- muters have an added advantage. Junior Peggy Harris, who commutes by bus from Orange explains, “The waiting and riding time is sl ow, very slow. All together, it’s a trip of about five miles per hour. But I usually have plenty of time to catch up on reading.” Winter Winter is another story. Students who were able to get their cars onto campus found that the plowing and salting jobs done after snowfalls were much better than they had been in past years. The lots were cleared quickly and efficiently and all students had to do was get there. A new step in making the facilities more efficient was the zoning of the parking lots which designated one lot for faculty, another for residents, and commuters received what remained. In addition, parking was increased with extra spaces next to and behind Walsh Auditorium. ■ i

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The Commuter Local Street Parking Extended Two Hours Parking illegally for this commuter may result in a visit by the neighborhood tow-truck. Besides enjoying four- hour parking on side streets, students suffered a price increase for their campus parking decal and were surprised at an improved winter clean- up. Story begins next page. 21

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' To over 80 percent of the student body , survival of the fittest is a game played in a parking lot”