The integrity of the upper school community surrounding the ever-coveted Red Lot Sixth Form parking spots has been put to the test by a harsh snowy winter which has made parking around campus a difficult task.
As everyone knows, only Sixth Formers are granted the privilege of parking on campus, and, at that, for only three-quarters of the school year. Historically, Fifth Formers have respected, or at the very least been made to respect through the threat of consequences, the central pillar of the parking code.
This year’s difficult parking situation seems to have emboldened more than a few of those once off-campus parkers. More Fifth Formers suspiciously enter the school from the direction of the Red Lot, and many Sixth Formers claim to have even caught them in the act. Little action has apparently resulted.
“In an ideal world there would be parking for everyone, but there’s not even enough parking for every senior, and we all had to go through it our junior year,” Sixth Former Matthew Schwartz said. “I think it’s pretty inconsiderate.”
Sixth Former Kieran Dias-Lalcaca said, “It’s not that hard. Just wait, relax.”
However, Sixth Form victims are not the only ones upset with the new trend of entitled parking criminals. Off-campus parkers also feel for the Sixth Form.
Fifth Former and diligent off-campus parker Max Rosenberger said, “I kind of feel for the seniors that get one year to park, and it’s a special thing for them, especially during a COVID year.”
But perhaps the most affected of all parking factions are those Sixth Formers who were not granted on-campus parking for one reason or another.
Sixth Former Nathan Tai, who has had to park off-campus for two years now, expressed grave concerns about the Fifth Form’s disregard for parking norms:
“People do stupid stuff, but they should be held accountable for that,” Tai said. “You know, juniors just park in seniors’ spots; that’s not okay.”
Some parking victims suggest a reformed mode of punishment.
“The way that juniors can just park in senior spots and get away with it needs to change, and that’s partly on the seniors who need to like do a better job of taking pictures of license plates,” Tai said.
“If they’re a [ Fifth Form] repeat offender,” Schwartz said, “they don’t deserve to have a spot their senior year.”
With displeasure surrounding this year’s chaotic parking situation, the student body wants answers about how this situation will improve.
Sixth Form Dean Mr. Tim Lengel simply said, “Juniors are not allowed to park on campus.”
Moreover, Mr. Lengel expressed that punishments will begin to fall on illegal parkers with enough evidence.
“Mr. Kolade and I have discussed punishments for [Fifth Formers parking on campus] up to and including not being able to park next year on campus.”
“The Sixth Form has not given me any evidence of juniors parking on campus.”
Sixth Form Dean Mr. Tim Lengel
Mr. Lengel thinks that perhaps the investigative burden of catching these parking thieves will have to fall on the students.
“I mean the Sixth Form has not given me any evidence of juniors parking on campus,” Mr. Lengel said.
Perhaps more Sixth Formers finding their younger peers leaving their cars and strolling through the Red Lot should collect evidence for Mr. Lengel and the school parking authorities, if not to protect one’s own spot, to protect fellow legal parkers.
“Just expose the juniors,” Tai said. “If you know who that is just send the word out –– let the whole world know.”
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