An excess of parking spaces is available to students who commute to campus, and the University’s parking problem is one of perception based on unreasonable expectations of convenience from students, Nicholls officials said.Craig Jaccuzzo, director of University Police, and Mike Davis, assistant vice president of administration, agree there is no parking problem at Nicholls. Jaccuzzo estimated there are about 5,000 students who commute to Nicholls, and Davis said there is a paved parking spot on campus for each of those students.

Last semester, Davis surveyed the University’s parking lots at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. for five days and always found an excess of 300 vacant parking spaces. Although there are more students commuting to campus this semester, Davis estimated at least 200 vacant spaces are available to students at any given time throughout the day.

Davis said the negative perception is a result of students wanting to park as close to their classrooms as possible while arriving as late as possible. “It’s impossible for any university to provide parking right outside the classroom for every student,” Davis said.

It should take no longer than eight minutes to walk to any building on campus from any parking lot, Davis said. “That’s not bad for this campus.”

Jaccuzzo said parking at Nicholls has improved throughout the past five years. “We have more adequate parking than our sister universities,” and the parking lots and buildings at Nicholls are all closer in proximity than at other universities, Jaccuzzo said.

With excess parking spaces available, Jaccuzzo said he does not understand why students park along Bowie Road. He said there is a significant danger to parking on Bowie, which has an accelerated speed limit compared to campus roads. “Plus, I don’t see how parking on Bowie is closer than parking on campus.”

Davis said about half the students who park along Bowie do not have current parking decals. “If they don’t want to buy a decal, we’re not responsible for providing them with parking,” Davis said.

Many students suggest building a parking garage to provide more convenient parking on campus, but Davis said such a project would be too expensive. He estimated it would cost $15,000 per space to build a parking garage on campus, which would cause an increase in the price of parking decals. Then, the new concern would be parking on lower levels, Davis said.

The University cannot do much to alleviate the problem other than keep students informed, Davis said. “We have the spots, we just need to do a better job publicizing where they will be.”

Despite claims from Jaccuzzo and Davis that there is ample campus parking available, some students feel parking at Nicholls is lacking.

Ricky Rozands, government junior from Houma, said the University’s parking situation is atrocious. “You have to fight to get parking spots,” Rozands said. “You get here 20 minutes early, and you’re driving around for 15.”

Other students find parking is not an issue if they arrive to campus early enough. Chelsea Levron, freshman from Paradis, said it is hard to find a space in the morning unless she gets to school an hour early.

Nicholas Lapeyrouse, education sophomore from Houma, said it is the fault of the student if he or she cannot find a parking space. “As long as you get here early, it doesn’t really matter,” Lapeyrouse said. “It’s you against everyone else.