By Claire McCullough
New students at McPherson College, especially those in Dotzour, have had a challenging time parking close to their dorm. Returning students are also facing parking-related problems. In fact, many are receiving parking violations in spots they’ve been parking in for years. Overall, there seems to be heightened levels of parking-related frustration during the 2024-2025 school year. However, what many students do not understand is that the campus is currently in the process of “beautifying,” as Kenya McCaine, a McPherson College senior and the Lead Residence Assistance of Dotzour Hall, stated. One step in that process is addressing parking on campus.
Dr. Matthew Cotton, the college’s Student Affairs Operation Specialist, explained that parking has been a problem on campus for many years. The main difference is that parking etiquette is now enforced, which is a change compared to past years. McCaine calls the past parking enforcement “slacking,” and believes the administration was more focused on other issues in years prior.
Now, Cotton describes that the campus is operating under a “three-strikes policy” when it comes to parking. The first strike will result in a sticker and ten dollar fine. After the second strike, the student is reported to conduct, which is Student Affairs’ attempt to address the root of the behavior. This can be through additional fines, educational assignments, or other methods. The third and final strike is enforced after Student Affairs notices the same repetitive parking behavior from a single student, resulting in their car being towed.
Students should not have to worry too much about getting to three strikes. According to Cotton, the campus has enough parking space for all the students, but a lot of “high demand areas” such the residence halls, and Miller Library fill up quickly. This leads students to park in reserved spots instead of using other areas such as the new parking lot behind the Hess Fine Arts Building.
Cotton and McCaine both mentioned that the campus is planning on making future adjustments to parking. However, for the time being, students will have to get used to the new rules and enforcement. Cotton reported that the month of September had the largest number of parking violations so far. According to McCaine, one of the biggest problems is that freshman do not understand where they can and cannot park, especially around the McPherson Church of the Brethren. But, surprisingly, freshmen are not the main violators of the parking policy. Cotton explained that upperclassman are having the most difficultly, likely because this behavior was not addressed in the past, allowing students to habits.
What’s important to realize is that as the number of cars and people on campus continues to increase, the school is going to have to adjust and make improvements to current infrastructure, and that includes parking. Dr. Cotton recommends students check their emails for any updates to the situation. He also suggests that students come to the Royer Center with any questions they have about parking in the future.
Cotton also offered a “pro tip” to students in the event that they do get stickered. He says that using Goo Gone or running the car through a car wash are both easy ways to remove the sticker. Cotton also offered his own ideology of parking, stating that “parking is a good way to display a service mindset. Making sure that you’re a good host to visitors, making sure that your conscious of your peers who may have additional accessibility needs… It shows that you care about your community and that you’re willing to go that extra step beyond convenience and do what is best for the community.”
