Chaos and anarchy, two words commonly used when talking about the parking lots at Reagan.  Parking is a difficult and stressful situation for student drivers whether they are at Reagan or Career Center.  Student drivers, specifically morning Career Center students who come back to Reagan for class, are not too fond of the recent parking news.

The Reagan administration recently announced there would no longer be an assigned section in the parking lot for Career Center students.  The parking spots in the lot are now available on a first come, first served basis.  The reactions from students after hearing this announcement have mainly been negative.

“Finding available spots at Reagan was difficult before, and with this parking news, it makes everything much more stressful,” junior Spencer Bohlmann said.

Most morning Career Center students are a few minutes late to their first class of the day at Reagan.  The main reason for this is the 25-30 minute time slot they are given to get back to Reagan.  Students can also be excessively late to Reagan for reasons that include wrecks, traffic and stopping for lunch.  

Student drivers are already faced with the challenge to find a parking spot that is both close to school and easy to get out of.  With the new parking situation, students coming from Career Center will be very lucky if they are able to find an available spot close to the school. Carpooling has helped some students and allowed more space in the parking lot.

Another challenge student drivers are faced with is the constant fear of having their car towed, booted or slapped with a violation sticker.  A logical solution to this problem is to think before acting and if students are unsure of parking situations, then they probably should park in a different location.  

The administration at Reagan has spoken out about the assigned Career Center parking lot and the privilege it served students before they took advantage of it.  Not all Career Center students are to blame for this situation, just those who took advantage of the time they were given.  

“It’s become a hassle for us to manage,” said assistant principal David Uhl.  “The Career Center lot was created to allow students to get to class on time but these students began to park wherever they want, also students show up late to school with food, which is unacceptable.”

Student drivers at Reagan who do not attend Career Center offer different perspectives on the problem.  While the majority of students have nothing but negative remarks about this situation, there are some students who do believe it is a good change.  

“I really think this was a good decision and allows Reagan students to find a parking spot during the day,” said senior Andy Nebinger.

The rage all resides with the fact that some students are unable to find a spot because students are not parking where they are supposed to.

“It’s really hard when other students don’t park correctly and now I have to waste at least 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot,” said senior Jordan Easter.

It is clear that all this parking drama has caused huge controversy topic to erupt within the student body.  Administration was clear about their intentions and how they are working to manage it better.