For Brandeis students living on campus, obtaining parking has become a privilege reserved for the lucky winners of a controversial lottery. Recent parking restrictions introduced by the Office of Parking and Traffic have only fueled growing frustration among both students and parents. These restrictions include the elimination of 340 parking spots around campus, limiting permits to seniors and pushing remaining spots even farther from students’ residence halls.
This clampdown stems from the construction of a new residence hall near T Lot, which the Brandeis Administration has described as “the first phase of a three-part housing initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of student life.” Yet, for current students, this construction—and the policies accompanying it—have brought more inconvenience than improvement.
Since June, construction has severely obstructed the daily flow of students and faculty alike, turning parking into a near-constant struggle for commuter students. In the words of a third-year commuter, “If you come after 10 am, it’s almost impossible to find parking there (T Lot), so you have to park at Gossman, which is a hike.” The Hoot’s previous coverage noted the elimination of 340 parking spots as a result of the new dorm construction in T Lot. While the new residence halls are expected to accommodate up to 631 additional students, those residents are likely to bring their own cars—creating even greater demand for already scarce parking.
Ahead of the construction project, the Brandeis University Parking Advisory Committee was formed to audit the parking and transportation needs of students and employees across campus. The committee released a report with several recommendations to streamline parking access, though many students say the situation has only worsened.
The full report can be found on the Brandeis website.
According to admissions data, 69% of Brandeis’s domestic students come from out of state. While the university prides itself on its proximity to Boston’s career and educational opportunities, many students question how they can fully access the Brandeis experience without reliable on-campus parking. For out-of-state students especially, cars are not a luxury—they are essential for moving in, traveling home and commuting to work or internships. Yet, the aggressive stance Brandeis’ Administration has taken against student parking has severely disrupted many students’ daily lives. One third-year resident from out of state shared, “It feels unfair because I was able to have a permit, I won the lottery last year … but I didn’t know that only seniors were allowed to have a parking permit until a couple weeks before the semester started. I can’t just drive my car back when they decide I can’t have my car here.”
Parking enforcement has also become increasingly aggressive. During move-in, the student’s car was towed from the driveway of Ridgewood Terrace. “Once I had taken everything out of my car, and while moving it from one floor of Ridge to another, in that 15-minute period, they towed my car. It was just really inconvenient and frustrating because I felt like I had no other option during move-in.” For this student, T Lot was obstructed by construction, and Admissions Lot was full—leaving them no viable alternative. The result: a towed vehicle fee of more than $100 and a $75 fine from Brandeis police.
“I’ve been ticketed a decent few times, and there have been times when I’ve needed to park in like Hassenfeld lot, and they’ve ticketed almost instantly.” These days, it’s nearly impossible to find a single student with a car who hasn’t received at least one ticket during their time at Brandeis.
Dan, a graduating senior who has lived off-campus for almost two years, expressed frustration at being denied a parking pass this year despite unchanged circumstances. “It’s frustrating,” he remarked, reflecting the anxiety many students—particularly high-need students with on-campus jobs—face daily. Dan, who works late hours at two campus jobs, told The Hoot that he often has to walk home between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. after his shifts because he is unable to park his car on campus.
A current graduate student and former Brandeis undergraduate echoed similar frustrations: “I’ve been ticketed a decent few times, and there have been times when I’ve needed to park in like Hassenfeld lot, and they’ve ticketed almost instantly.” For many, these tickets carry serious repercussions, as unpaid fines can prevent students from registering for classes and, in extreme cases, be referred to third-party debt collection agencies—adding further financial strain to already indebted students.
With the removal of 340 spots around campus, Brandeis has created a scramble for parking and intensified its already aggressive enforcement practices. The result is a system that punishes students with vehicles, with no clear solution in sight. While the new state-of-the-art residence hall may enhance comfort for future students, it has undeniably disrupted the lives of those currently enrolled—students who are paying the price, quite literally, for the university’s growing pains. Not to insinuate that parking should take precedence over the housing shortage, but as the senior administration looks toward increasing enrollment to pre-COVID numbers and improving our facilities on campus, the parking problem may only get worse, especially with more construction planned for the near future.
Photo Credit: Elienne Grossman
