Georgia State commuters said that they have dealt with, and continue to deal with, parking inconveniences at Turner Field.
The Panther Express Bus arrives approximately every one minute between the hours of 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the Georgia State website.
But according to Stephanie Joy, a senior Journalism major, the buses aren’t running on schedule.
“The buses are often times three bus loads behind.” Joy said. “There’s a line in front of you. What are you gonna do, get in a fight just to get to class? They were there first so its only right you join the line and wait your turn.”
Joy said parking in another lot on campus is not an option because of the high cost.
She said she arrives to Turner Field as early as two hours in advance of her class to reduce the stress of not arriving to class on time.
“If you have a 1:30 class, don’t try to get to Turner by 1:00. You probably want to be there at 11:00 or 11:30 at the latest,” Joy said.
Michelle Williams, a commuter who also parks at Turner Field, said she leaves home at least an hour early to make it to class on time.
“I live in Smyrna, which is only about a 15 minute drive from there to school, but because of my commute, trying to find a space at Turner Field, which takes about 30 minutes depending on the time of day, waiting for the shuttle and then having the shuttle take me to school, I have to leave my house at least an hour before class in order to make it to class on time,” she said.
Maggie Haygood, another commuter student, said she also leaves her house ahead of time to find parking.
“I live off campus, about seven minutes away, and parking is usually impossible. It’s usually full. I have to leave at least an hour beforehand to get to class on time,” she said.
Stephanie Kim, a junior Studio Art major, said that parking in the morning is fine at Turner, but parking in the afternoon is a much different story for her.
“I drove around for five or ten minutes before I could find a parking spot,” said Kim. “I was almost late for class because of the parking situation.”
Joy was scheduled to graduate this semester but said she pushed her graduation date to the summer because she could not make it to class on time.
She said while some professors are really understanding when it comes to the parking difficulties commuters face when parking at Turner Field, others are not.
Advanced Media Desktop Editing professor Debbie George said when students show up late it can be a distraction not only to a teacher but also to the other students in class as well.
“Typically at the beginning of class is when I give important announcements about upcoming projects or test,” George said. “When a student comes in late I have to repeat myself, which can be an annoyance not only to myself but to the other students.”
George said she does keep in mind there is an issue with parking and construction, so she tries to be more tolerant than other professors may be. However, she also said that students should keep in mind this is an ongoing issue, which they should plan for accordingly.
“If a student is ten or fifteen minutes late for a job interview for instance they are automatically out of the running for that job regardless of the reason,” George said.
George said she doesn’t penalize students for being late but rather gives students points for showing up to her class.
She said if a student comes to her to explain they were late, such as a parking problem at Turner Field, it shows her that they are communicating, which helps her understand the issue.
Zoya Hasnain, news editor, contributed to this report.
