The availability of parking on campus is a pressing issue for many students on campus, particularly the freshmen who we have welcomed this year. Many students find it difficult to secure a parking spot throughout the day.
Few want to resort to parking near the football stadium, leading to a mass scramble towards the various Red and Blue parking spaces around campus. This problem has only been worsened by the construction of the new Jackson Hall nursing building. A lack of parking is a common issue among most universities, however, with Murray maintaining its own campus separate from the rest of the city, most students are unable to park outside its grounds and walk to class. As it stands now, many have begun vocalizing their frustrations, tickets in hand.
“I look at the campus parking situation and laugh,” said Jacob Wilson, a transfer engineering major. “We have more commuters to this school than most others, making parking a crucial aspect of the campus. Other colleges have everyone living in the dorms, making it easier for them to walk or bike to class. Murray needs to expand their parking and make it more accessible for the everyday commuter and forget about the cash grab of parking.”
In response to a growing demand for an expansion of parking, Parking Services has undertaken a “large-scale project to expand several parking lots to continue to best serve campus for better usage, once completed.” This project is ongoing, with the parking areas west of 16th Street between Ryan Avenue and Calloway Avenue remaining closed off to accommodate.
Students with Red or Blue parking permits are encouraged to use the spots around the following areas:
Kentucky and Calloway South (Corner of Kentucky Avenue and Calloway Avenue)
Kentucky and College Terrace North and South (Intersection between Kentucky Avenue and College Terrace)
16th and Ryan Northeast (North Corner of 16th Street and Ryan Avenue)
The project is expected to be completed during this fall semester, where we will see the reopening of the aforementioned parking areas. Whether or not it will solve this issue remains to be seen, yet hopes are high that the lives of commuters can be made easier.
Amy • Sep 1, 2025 at 12:41 pm
My new freshman, for whom I paid $200 for a “park at your dorm” permit, received a parking violation her second week of school. She has a “yellow zone” and parked in a “red zone”— literally because it was the only thing available other than the football field. So, I pay for her to park at her dorm, which as a freshman she’s required to reside on campus, however, there are no available “yellow zone” spots for her even remotely near her dorm. This needs to be better thought out. Don’t oversell spots that you don’t have just to make more money.