Headlines
Banning of Cars on Ole Miss Campus and Alternative Solutions
Photo courtesy UM Communications
Students snap up more than 20,000 parking permits each year at the University of Mississippi.
Now, just imagine as many as 4,000 parking spots suddenly becoming available every day on campus. That’s what would happen if the university followed Vanderbilt University’s lead. Vanderbilt requires students to live on campus, but leave their cars at home.
“This policy is to assist First Year students in making the transition to university life. We feel that by utilizing this first year of college life to develop a sense of community within the university will help them make that transition successfully,” said Lance Hale of Vanderbilt University Police Department Parking Services in an email.
For 15 years, Vanderbilt has made parking spots a privilege for juniors and seniors and some lucky sophomores.
Madeleine Moorhead is a student at Vanderbilt University who lived through freshman parking frustration.
“Well, I mean, I borrowed other freshman friends’ cars, but if they hadn’t had them, then yes, I could have used cabs but they’re so unreliable,” she says, “I didn’t really like the rule at the time, but now, I don’t think it’s a big deal because upperclassmen can drive freshmen.”
But Ole Miss freshman Carly Causey says a “no cars for freshmen” rule would have been a deal breaker for her.
“I think it’s very convenient when you have your car, so if I couldn’t have my car, I probably would not have come here,” she says. “It’s really useful to have my car for errands, like groceries and going to CVS or Walgreen’s, so I think it’s very useful to have your car as a freshman.”
Of course, there are transportation options available on campus, such as the Oxford University Transit buses, Rebels Pedals bike rentals, Zipcar, Zimride and Break shuttle to transport students home on the holidays, so many people ask, “Why not have fewer cars on campus?”
Taylor Smith, a junior at Ole Miss, is all for a ban on cars for freshmen.
“Freshmen are inexperienced drivers. Also, less cars are on the road which means less traffic, fewer accidents and more parking. Since freshmen are required to live on campus anyway, it’s not like they are required to commute to class. They can get on the bus or walk to avoid Freshman 15,” said Smith.
Mike Harris, director of Parking and Transportation at Ole Miss, says the idea of a freshmen car ban has been taken into consideration.
“The issue has been discussed as we have added residential halls,” says Harris. “Residential students who bring a vehicle is 65 percent of the total residential student number. The residential students get one permit per one space.”
Harris says the university’s location is a factor in the discussion about banning cars for freshmen.
“We have had the discussion, however, with our university being in such a rural area and with so many students coming from out of state, this would not be a practical decision at this time,” says Harris.
Smith says there are plenty of reasons why a freshmen car ban is a good idea.
“It would also look really good on the university if they imposed some sort of vehicular restrictions because it would make them look more environmentally conscious and ‘going green’ would lessen the carbon footprint left by the students of the university,” says Smith.
Stephanie Weiss is a student in the Meek School of Journalism and New Media and can be reached at sweiss@go.olemiss.edu.
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Melissa
April 14, 2015 at 12:48 pm
my daughter is a freshman at Ole Miss this year and did not bring her car. When ever they went to the square they had to pay for a cab which is $10 per person each way! It gets very pricy! I just wish that the taxi service wouldn’t charge these college kids so much! I feel they are totally taking advantage of them.
Lisa Gabbard
April 14, 2015 at 12:55 pm
My son is a junior at Ole Miss from Texas and has not had a car all three years. He has ‘survived’ just fine without one. There are buses/shuttles to get around town and friends who can take him to the airport. It’s a matter of what you ‘want’ and what is really ‘needed’. You don’t NEED a car.
SJJ
April 14, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Ole Miss and the City of Oxford should work together to develop a separate, dedicated bike lane/hike trail,,,,one that does not share with vehicular traffic.
Timothy Pruitt
April 14, 2015 at 1:17 pm
Melissa, have your Daughter call the cab companies and ask the price from the square to campus. I know for a fact that at least two of the cab companies charge the kids 5 bucks for that run. Now to Walmart and other places not the square, yes, it is 10 dollars per trip. The square to/from campus should be 5 though.
Anonymous
April 14, 2015 at 1:55 pm
What about ….A PARKING GARAGE ??
Erin
April 14, 2015 at 6:13 pm
I’m currently a freshman at Ole Miss and I have my car this semester but did not bring it to school initially – Oxford is a town that is constructed very differently from Nashville. For starters, Nashville is a metropolitan area. Oxford is a small town and there is no way to effectively move around town as a pedestrian from the campus. Jackson Avenue is a busy street and the OUT buses are minimally helpful at best. Ole Miss does not supply a dependable or reliable transportation service for students and until they do I don’t see banning freshman cars as a viable option for the university.
Kadi
April 14, 2015 at 6:44 pm
I saw one person say that “freshmen are inexperienced drivers”, well I have to argue the fact that even if this was the case, how in the world do you expect them to become better more experienced drivers when their cars are banned and they aren’t able to drive??? Will they just be “inexperienced” sophomore drivers that ARE allowed to have cars?
John
April 14, 2015 at 9:36 pm
I will try and keep this simple and easy to understand, and please keep in mind that I am a Senior here and have seen this problem from multiple perspectives. The bottom line is having a car in Oxford is not a must, but it is very useful when you do need to run an errand or something pops up and you need to attend last minute. Pertaining to freshman being banned from having a car on campus, I have a solution Ole Miss. Like many schools in the country, there are special lots on campus (away from main buildings/dorms) or very close to school off campus, where shuttles run to the lots consistently through out the day that are meant for Freshman only. That gives ample parking spots for students who live off campus that really don’t want to be searching for one first thing in the morning before their 8 AM’s.
My advice to parents reading this and are on the fence about allowing your son or daughter to bring their car to school their first year must know this. Freshman aren’t inexperienced drivers because I know some seniors and juniors who still don’t know a lick about driving. But when it comes down to decision making, that’s where inexperience can come into play as a Freshman. College kids will drink, because, well thats what college kids do and for a Freshman to have access to a vehicle on campus after drinking increases the possibility he or she will get into a car and drive intoxicated. That can end up in a DUI, wreck, and even death (I’ve seen all three first hand multiple times, some were close friends). So Melissa, when you say that your daughter is paying $10 a weekend to take a cab to the square and back, that is a lot better than the fees of a DUI which are around $10,000. If you are worried about your child’s safety, most cab companies allow parents to set up tabs for their kids at a discounted rate overall.
I believe commuters need to have overall priority in vital parking spots on campus before a Freshman.
Wanda Arrington
April 15, 2015 at 8:17 am
I totally disagree. There should be parking garages as needed and the university should not expect freshmen to walk just because they are freshmen. The University makes plenty of money they should have to accommodate all their students and workers with parking.
Anonymous
April 15, 2015 at 8:43 am
Commuters need to look into taking the bus more. My last two years of college here, I took the bus and it was no problem at all. I didn’t have to fight for a parking spot and I was dropped off directly in front of the building where my class was. I would even drive to the bus stop and go from there. Most places won’t mind you leaving your car there.
A lot of students are from Texas (as am I) and I could not imagine not having my car my freshman year.
I know people who DID survive without a car, but they drove everyone crazy asking for rides all of the time.
The University just needs to figure out different ways to accommodate parking. They keep increasing the amount of students they accept, but they don’t increase the amount of parking.
gg
April 15, 2015 at 9:45 am
We have needed a parking garage for some time. Go to SMU and look at the attractive one that they built. It blends with the campus and looks like an attractive red-brick building. It does not take up the space that our lots take up. We are landlocked and need all the space we can to accommodate students. Ole Miss should guarantee students housing for at least the first two years. If that means limiting enrollment, so be it. We want to grow, but not so much that we cannot accommodate our students. Cars for freshmen can be eliminated if the school provides transportation to the Square, Grocery, etc. that is reliable.