As construction crews reshape the landscape at SIU, students find themselves navigating an unexpected challenge: the closure of Lot 11, a high-traffic commuter lot.
Just as students were preparing to return to campus, they received an email on August 13 announcing the closure of Lot 11, the red decal student commuter lot east of the Student Center, due to the construction of the Tedrick Welcome Center.
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The new building on campus, named after Roger and Sally Tedrick in recognition of their $6 million donation, was proposed to the SIU Board of Trustees’ committee in April 2023. The building was approved and is now in the process of being built.
In the Aug. 13 email to students, the parking division wrote, “As you prepare to return to campus for the fall semester, it is our pleasure to share some exciting news. On Thursday, Aug. 15, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the SIU Foundation will prepare to build the Tedrick Welcome Center.”
Their announcement highlighted aspects of the new project and its anticipated benefits for the university community.
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However, they added, “as with most construction projects, some people will be inconvenienced, and we are sending this message now to help you make plans. Parking Lot 11, the red decal lot east of the Student Center, will be closed until construction is completed in May 2026.”
The parking division did not respond to requests for comment by print deadline. However, the Undergraduate Student Government shared a post on Instagram following a meeting with Chancellor Lane. In the Aug. 15 post, titled “Important Update Regarding the Lot 11 Closure,” USG wrote, “There will be an SIU officer stationed on Route 51 to safely escort students across the street from the parking lot to campus.”
They also wrote, “Administration and the Parking Division are exploring options to ease the burden on student parking during this construction period.”
The SIU Admissions office plans to use the Welcome Center for open houses, orientations, and student group visits. Additionally, the building will accommodate the philanthropy center, which will include the SIU Foundation offices. The center will also serve as a hub for alumni and the general public.
In the meantime, commuter students were offered temporary parking options.
During the first two weeks of classes, Lot 13 was temporarily free. The lot is typically a paid parking area, but it is free after 4 p.m. on weekdays and throughout the day on weekends.
Other red decal parking options include the following lots:
- Lot 3 (across Highway 51, accessible from East Grand Avenue and Washington Street)
- Lot 48 (near the tennis courts)
- Lot 89A (north) and Lot 52 (southwest) near Banterra Center
- Lot 39 (south of Life Science III)
- Near the Communications Building: Lot 4 (south), Lot 40 (southwest), Lot 44 (north)
- Lot 6A (north of Morris Library)
Employees with blue or gold decals were also encouraged to park in blue decal lots, rather than red lots, to make space for commuting students.
Kenzie Jones, a freshman at SIU, has a 20-30 minute commute each day to get to class.
Jones said, “Lot 11 was where I planned on parking, since it made the most sense with my schedule and what buildings I had to be in, so it really threw a wrench into my plans. Now I sometimes have to park in pretty inconvenient places that make getting to and from classes more difficult.”
Instances such as this have led to increased congestion in the parking lots.
“There’s definitely been issues with traffic and parking that I’ve seen both in person, as well as people speaking out on social media,” she said. “There are students parking in lots that are not meant for them, or even parking in areas that aren’t considered parking, which leads to them getting tickets,” Jones said.
Megan Clarida is a sophomore at SIU. She said, “There already wasn’t enough parking for commuting students, so now there is even less. I have seen students parking in the grass or in ‘No Parking’ zones because there is literally nowhere else to park besides the faculty lot or visitor parking. In these lots you either get a ticket or have to pay for it, when we already pay a ridiculous amount for a student parking pass yearly.”
The lot closure also affects individuals without red lot decals, as they are now faced with a reduced number of available parking spots.
“Not being able to park at the Student Center Lot 11 has made it much more difficult to find parking elsewhere because all the other lots are full, or you have to pay for the visitor lot which is insane considering we already paid for parking stickers,” Clarida said. “I’ve had to park at the Student Center to get to my classes, and I have already been ticketed.”
She added, “If commuter parking lots…are already full, I don’t believe we should get ticketed if we have to park in the visitor’s lots. It is not our fault as students that there is not adequate enough parking for all of us. If we are already paying close to $200 for a student parking pass, we should not have to pay to park in visitor lots because there is not enough parking for students as it is.”
She said she thinks that the university needs more parking in general around campus to accompany everyone’s needs.
The Aug. 13 email from the parking division said, “According to a 2023 study by Walker Consultants, SIU has ample parking on campus, with an estimated 7,000+ vacant parking spaces during peak hours on a typical busy day; only 43 percent of red decal spaces were occupied.”
Additionally, many students also said they are frustrated with the lack of timely communication from the school about the lot closure.
Jones said, “The university did not communicate this closure well, and the impact it had on students is hard. Lot 11 was a very large parking spot that I know a lot of commuters planned on parking at because it made the most sense for them. Now, because of them getting rid of this lot, students are having to park in places where it’s incredibly inconvenient and untimely, and risk getting parking tickets in situations where it is their last option.”
The parking division said, in the Aug. 13 email to students, that “they understand that available spots may not be as close to a building entrance as someone would like, but many are within a 10-minute walk. Also, after 4 p.m., people may park just about anywhere on campus, with the exception of visitors-only spaces, 24-hour reserved spaces and handicap spaces.”
For those who have disabilities and need assistance, the lot closure presents significant challenges and added difficulties.
The parking division said that students who have disabilities and need accommodations, including parking accommodations, should reach out to the Office for Access and Accommodations by phone at 618-453-5738, or by email at [email protected].
The parking division has also encouraged the use of on-campus bus routes from lots that are more distant from their classes.
However, Clarida said, “There needs to be better listed bus routes available as well as it is hard to find the routes and understand when and where they are going. We need more parking in general around campus to accompany everyone’s needs.”
Students are saying that the university did not adequately communicate the closure to students.
As a first-year student on campus, Jones has had to adjust to college life, while simultaneously navigating the added challenge of the lot closure.
“As a freshman, this gives me a fairly negative view of SIU,” Jones said. “They had to have known how badly this would affect students, and not only that, but they also didn’t alert us until a little under a week before classes started.”
Decals are available to purchase beginning July 1 of each year; however, the announcement about the lot closure did not come until mid-August, leaving those who had already purchased decals with limited options and little time to adjust.
“Instead of a three million dollar welcome center, that money should’ve been invested into more parking lots for on-campus and commuter students,” Clarida said. “We already have a welcome center that I have never seen full, so I’m not sure why we are taking away a much-needed parking lot in order to put another building on campus,”
Clarida said that parking on campus has been an issue for her since day one.
“The library parking lot doesn’t offer nearly enough space for students to park, so you either have to get there really early, or hope you catch someone leaving…The lot in-front of the agricultural building is also very small and is almost always packed,” she said. “The commuter lot by the engineering building is way too small, and I always see people parking in the grass or adding on to rows in the lot that aren’t even spots, just to get to class. There is a lot of land there that could be utilized better for more parking.”
For more about on-campus parking and a map, visit https://parking.siu.edu/on-campus/.
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