This year, tired of years of complaints from angry seniors frustrated that they were unfairly assigned spots at Rockshire by Secretary Cynthia Cunningham, the way spots were assigned changed. Seniors are now responsible for choosing blindly from a box mixed with 185 glorious Wootton spots and 40 agonizing Rockshire spots.
As students lined up in visible fear on Aug. 28 with the hopes of picking a Wootton spot – and knowing they had no one to blame but themselves if they didn’t get one – students began to ask whether or not it was fair that students who live much farther than others are at just as great a risk of getting Rockshire spots than those who live closer.
I live just off Wootton Parkway. With no traffic, it only takes me about three minutes to get from my house to a parking spot in the main lot. (With morning traffic, of course, my plight is greatly lengthened). I have a spot in the Wootton lot. Yet I know people who live nearly 15 minutes away (not considering traffic) who ended up at Rockshire and are forced to add even more time to their mornings by walking in each day from the lot.
I understand the argument of students who live farthest and hope that a Wootton spot will take time out of their already lengthened commute.
Ultimately, however, this stance is selfish. Allow me to explain why.
The first reason for my opposition is logical. This might be challenging to do, but forget how much farther you live than your friend. Do you realize that the vast majority of kids who drive to school can’t walk? For most seniors who live far enough at all, driving is a daily reality whether they live five or 20 minutes away. If these people have no choice but to drive (other than the godforsaken bus), they should not be stuck at Rockshire simply because they can leave five minutes later.
The second reason is moral. It goes back to the old adage timelessly proclaimed by the staff who deal with parking every year: “parking is a privilege, not a right.”
As frustrating as this statement often is, it is ultimately truthful. If you don’t want a parking spot at Rockshire because you believe your commute is undeserving of one, there is another solution in the form of a free and reliable bus. It takes just as long, comes even earlier, gives you less freedom of music choice and is certainly louder than your own car, but it does its job of getting you from Point A to Point B.
It isn’t as if those assigning parking don’t acknowledge that some students are more in need of Wootton spots than others. After all, students participating in dual enrollment and internships are given priority, and several spots are reserved for teams in season as well. Everyone else is rightfully subjected equally to the risk of drawing Rockshire. That’s the price you pay for a privilege.
And for everyone who complains about the fact that they were randomly chosen to be put at Rockshire, you have three choices: be quiet, take the bus, or take a hike. All the way from your house, that is.
