As the first-year class arrives and acclimates to life on campus, one particular issue has been noticed by some of its members, especially by those who live within several hours of campus: transportation. While Lewisburg’s downtown has many necessities, some of the more common wants and needs are inaccessible to first-year students without vehicles.
Milton, East Lewisburg, and Linntown have many amenities Bucknell first-years want—stores, restaurants, and things to do (which are limited, as many students are finding out). The one Walmart available to students is 7 minutes down I-15 by car, which is completely impossible for students to walk to. Universities in rural settings, such as Bucknell, tend to be more spread out. In order to accommodate students, universities like Washington and Lee have allowed first-year students to have car and parking privileges.
While first-years may not hold a priority for university parking, if spaces are available, they should be allowed to apply. Upperclassmen and faculty may be given advanced privileges, but first-year students would like to be included. “I miss my car;” stated first-year Ryan Oxley. “I should be able to park because realistically, spots are first come first serve and that should apply to freshmen as well.”
As for the question of parking space, while the university may be able to convert many spaces to student parking, there may still be a limited amount. One solution to this would be a satellite parking lot, perhaps on the other side of Lewisburg or in an unused area on campus. While it could be a significant distance, being able to walk to the satellite parking to be able to go home for the weekend or take a trip to surrounding towns would be a game-changer for new arrivals to Bucknell.