Every morning, the student parking lot carries an uneasy energy, fueled by upperclassmen pride. Many of the students have been finding it difficult in the mornings to find parking, some coming 30-40 minutes early to secure their spot. The limited parking this school year has increased due to the installation of new solar panels, sparking tension between seniors and underclassmen who unknowingly park in “claimed” spots.
Just as upperclassmen often claim lunch tables as their own, this false superiority complex has taken over the student parking lot. Adriana Issa, a junior who used to park in the fourth row, discovered that her car was getting frequently vandalized along with phrases, “GTFO” and “Move Babe.” Even after the administration helped Issa by showing her the security cameras, she was left to confront the group alone. In such an extreme situation that put both sides in both a weird and unsafe position, the administration chose to stand by and disregard the story as a whole. Her story highlights how the scarcity of parking has led to tense disputes between students. Even after confronting the seniors, Issa still feels unsettled and is no longer parking in that spot. “But now I park different places because I don’t want to deal with it”.
Surprisingly, most seniors aren’t aware of the tension faced in the parking lot. Some seniors seem to care more about it than others. Senior Madison Wong, who normally parks in the first row shared, “It doesn’t really matter to me but personally for them, they have a different perspective of that.” Wong shared that some days are busier than others and she normally gets to Mills around 8:10 a.m. to secure parking. When I asked her how she felt about the seniors getting upset over someone taking their favorite spot, she argued, “First come first serve, it’s not like I’m gonna crash into someone’s car if they park in ‘my’ parking spot, cause I don’t have one.” After introducing the idea of having an only senior lot, with designated spots for students, she shared, “I don’t think they should have their own parking space because I wouldn’t even be able to remember which one is my parking spot.”
It’s upsetting that the admin doesn’t see situations like Issa’s as a priority and are not doing more to prevent future situations. By not having incidents like this be managed properly, who is to say that the math teachers who park in the same lot are not also at risk of being the next victim? Would the response be more serious if a faculty member’s car was targeted? When I asked Dean Tim Christian about this idea, he shared, “You can imagine that if a kid goes and messes with a teacher’s car, the repercussions would be pretty significant.”
Christian views the issue as a mix of entitlement and tradition.
“When you create scarcity, through scarcity, demand.” When I asked him for his thoughts on whether the actions by some of the seniors crossed into entitlement he agreed, saying, “It’s entitlement. Yeah, it’s senior privilege.” It’s normal in high school for upperclassmen to feel entitled to get the best treatment including special seating at football games, best color for rallies, and best parking spots. But does this excuse ignorant behavior from seniors as well?
If serious incidents continue to erupt in the parking lot, Christian warns, “Instead of you guys [student drivers] finding your way, then adults will be out there, and you guys may not like decisions that adults make.” The good thing about Mills is the administration gives the student body leeway to make decisions and do what they want. But when problems begin to rise where students aren’t listening or are causing problems, it forces the admin to take control. Personally, I support students arriving early to get their favorite spot; it demonstrates responsibility and thinking ahead. But no student, no matter their grade, should feel that just because they get here early to park in a specific spot that it belongs to them. If you roll around at 8:29 in the morning, don’t expect your perfect spot to still be available just for you. Christian’s advice for students so eager to get their favorite spot? “Get your butt to school before anybody else and you’ll get where you want.”
Administrators are looking into and discussing ideas in regards to permit parking. The new solar panels that were installed this year took away an estimated ten parking spots.
Furthermore, many math teachers park in that lot as well, making the available parking even less. In total, the students have 66 parking spots available in the lot. With the recent shift of parking availability, having parking permits or reserving a section of the lot for seniors could help create a less hostile environment.
Christian revealed that James Ortega, the new assistant principal, is “entertaining the idea” of assigning parking spaces. Christian believes that seniors should be given an area in the parking lot that is strictly for them, but he also said that “the principle doesn’t really roll like that though, like showing favoritism.” Personally I think having admin step in to create a system would better help the parking lot run safe and smooth in the mornings. As for now, I think if students care so much about a spot, it’s their responsibility to get here early. No matter what though, vandalism or harassment should never come from someone not getting their spot in the lot. Though the idea is still fresh, having that structure in regards to parking would help regulate the students throughout the year.
For seniors still clinging to unassigned spots, Christian advises , “Don’t show up at the witching hour and then start riding your broom around all pissed off because somebody’s in your spot.”
