Finals are around the corner, so most Gauchos are beginning to hit the books, some for the first time all quarter. Some study in the confines of their own house, yet those of us who fall asleep reading in our bed prefer to study in the library. Many Gauchos walk there, others use their bike and many of us also drive our cars in order to get our studying done. With the cold, rainy weather upon us, most of us would prefer to drive, or catch a ride to campus, which means that many cars flock the local parking lots around the library.

Finding a parking spot this time of the quarter is very difficult as only half of the UCen parking lot is available to students. Student drivers have to rely on the parking lots by Anacapa Hall or San Miguel Hall. If there are no spots available, our last resource is to use the parking lot closest to the beach – behind the De la Guerra Dining Commons – or the one next to the bus loop… until now. As I was trying to park there today, I realized the lot had been closed due to construction. With that said, a good amount of parking spaces have been blocked off, which leads to an even greater shortage of spots for students trying to use the library, UCen or other buildings on campus. Studying is hard enough, but looking for parking for thirty minutes is another thing and by the look of things, it seems as if there will be no parking near or around the library anymore.

There have been two new parking structures built: One by the Pardall Tunnel and the other by the engineering building next to the 217 entrance to campus. Those structures are fine and dandy, yet they are considerably far from the library and in cold, rainy weather like the one we have been experiencing, well then the walk seems twice as far. I don’t understand why those in charge didn’t make the UCen parking lot into a parking structure with multiple levels, considering it is the closest spot for popular places like the previously mentioned UCen, library or 24-Hour Study Room.

By the looks of things, I might as well bike from I.V. to campus because I don’t want to be looking for parking all night. Biking to campus is much more inconvenient especially because many of us leave the 24-Hour Study Room very late, which means that the bike ride home would be a very cold one.

Am I whining about the fact that there is no parking? I would say so. Yet I think I have a fair point when I say there should have been a parking structure built around the library-UCen area because it is a very populated area. Two new parking structures built? Great. One of them pretty much in I.V.? Not so great.

I should start a petition calling for a donation of money so I could build my own parking structure around the library. It might take me a long time though, as I hear those parking structures are quite expensive. Refund checks are coming within a couple weeks so I would think those who support my cause would donate money to the new structure. Or better yet, maybe I could call for a boycott of studying at the library just to prove my point. I doubt that would work though, because many studious Gauchos do care about studying for finals. I guess my only solution is to try to look for parking or bike to the library in the cold and pray that I don’t get into a bike accident.