Some students agree that parking at Sinclair Community College can prove to be a challenge — especially within the first few weeks of a new term.
As new students adjust to Sinclair and the general dynamics of the parking garage, the Clarion spoke to various returning students for tips and advice directed to new students on how to successfully park at Sinclair.
“Follow the arrows and watch your mirrors, your left and right and your blind side to make sure you don’t get hit,” Sefu Rascid, Mechanical Engineering major said.
Director of Business Services Paul Murphy said there are more places to park than just Parking Garage A, which is located between Fifth and Mead Streets and connects directly to Sinclair. There is also Parking Lot K, which is behind Building 13. In addition there is Lot M, which is located across the river by Building 20 and Lot I, which is located off Ludlow Street, by Building 19 for the Police Academy students. Sinclair also offers free motorcycle parking in Lot B.
In addition to the regularly open places to park, Lots F and G will be open on Tuesday and Thursday, along with Welcome Stadium which will be open all week.
“You’ve got to be patient, for starters and you’ve got to take what you can find. A lot of the times, they have outside parking garages. If you can’t get there, go somewhere else. The first day of school, the main parking garages are horrible; it’s really first come, first serve and I remember last semester, they were talking about ‘don’t shark,’ don’t sit outside and wait and wait, that just wastes your time. Just be patient and have luck. When in doubt, go somewhere else, to the other parking garages,” Robyn Daum, Nursing major said.
Welcome Stadium offers free parking and a shuttle service, which will transport students from the lot to Sinclair at various drop off points.
When the garage fills up, students will be directed by signage to Welcome Stadium. However, Welcome Stadium parking will open at 8 a.m. for students that prefer this option, and will be available as long as the college needs it.
Murphy said historically, the garage is filled by 10:30 a.m., then students are mandatorily directed to Welcome Stadium.
“You probably have to be here between 7:00, 7:30 in the morning if you want a parking spot in the parking garage,” Jaclyn Dillon, Nursing major said.
However, some students utilize the additional parking places beyond Lot A.
“If you have any classes by Building 13 and [Building 9], there is a parking lot that is open a lot and for shorter classes, I just use on-street parking,” Amanda Medina, American Sign Language major said.
The third floor of the parking garage houses the tunnels that lead from the garage to the various buildings of Sinclair. Thus, making the third floor of the parking garage a popular level to park on.
“Don’t expect to be on the third level with the walk across, you’re going to have to walk up and down stairs, there’s a lot of parking there. So, you’re not going to do that in the first couple of weeks,” Brandy Rigsby, Cyber Investigation major said. Murphy agrees that students should try the other levels of the parking garage as well.
He also advises students to look for signage around the garage, which will give the proper rules and directions around the parking garage.
Some students agree.
“Be sure you’re going the right direction, when you get in there…. Just pay attention to the signs and don’t be in a hurry,” Reannin Miller, Software Development major said.
Some students don’t bother with parking and take advantage of the RTA system and walk to campus.
“Be careful in downtown, it’s downtown. Everyone’s like ‘well how do you know your way downtown?’ Like, no I have a clear cut path from the hub to the school,” Chris Kreitzer, Undecided major said. “It’s safer to take the bus than to try to drive here everyday. Not to mention all the money you’ll have to spend.”
If students do walk across campus, Murphy said it’s important to cross the street at crosswalks and not to j-walk.
In addition, he said students should not speed in the parking garage.
Some students find it frustrating when a car takes up more than one parking space at a time; therefore, one student advises others to avoid driving big vehicles to Sinclair.
“I drove a three quarter ton Chevy truck in and my bumpers hung over the line a couple inches and my mirrors were off on the side and I got a warning, saying next time I would get a ticket. So I’m having to borrow my Dad’s car, which he’s not too thrilled about — but I don’t want a ticket,” Mike Ford, Computer Manufacturing major said.
If a student breaks a traffic law on Sinclair premises, either the Sinclair Police or the Dayton Police Department could issue them a ticket; in both cases, they would have to pay the city of Dayton.
Murphy said if a student is having car troubles, the security guards are able to help, as the Sinclair Police offers free jumpstart and lockout services.
Recently, Sinclair added the option for students to pay with their credit cards in Lots A and K at the cashier booths. If a student takes advantage of this option, they will be charged $2. However, students who pay with their Tartan Card get a 50 percent discount, only having to pay $1.
For more information on parking, visit Sinclair.edu/traffic.