Certain film equipment can weigh up to 100 pounds.
Photo Credit: Sean Singiser
Parking Services at Montclair State University is cracking down on film students driving to Life Hall to pick up equipment due to an increase in safety concerns stemming from an incident involving a pedestrian being hit.
In the past, students have been permitted to drive their vehicles to Life Hall, but now students claim they have been issued tickets without warning.
There has been much confusion on both ends in regard to what is going on. Many film students are surprised by this new enforcement due to the fact that there is no other ideal way to pick up their gear from the cage.
The School of Communication and Media administration was also unaware of this change, and remain puzzled by the lack of communication.
“When it comes to parking, I think we all feel we are out of the loop because things are not communicated,” said Nicholas Tzanis, the director of broadcast and media operations. “It effects our department more than other schools because of all the equipment that comes out of the building.”
He also added that, when the new building is finished, there will be more access to the equipment, and he will be proposing the addition of loading areas for this reason.
Many of the film students are not happy about the new change, and feel as though Parking Services is unfairly targeting them.
“It’s a never-ending hassle,” said Kevin Leandro, a film major. “They watch as we struggle loading heavy and very expensive equipment into our cars and threaten to ticket or tow us in the process. It’s not like we’re planning on leaving our cars there. We’re going in and out as fast as we can.”
Parking Services feels this is an unsafe place to drive since this area is also a walking path for students. They were informed by President Susan Cole over the summer that parking there is no longer allowed and citations must be enforced, according to Bill Fitzpatrick, the vice president of Facilities Logistics and Support Services. He said that there are plans to gate off this area to allow only authorized vehicles through, but it has been left untouched due to the current construction going on.
Fitzpatrick also discussed some solutions as to how this can be fixed. He wants there to be communication to his department about who will be driving in that area. According to Fitzpatrick, if a student needs to be driving back there, the department of facilities should be contacted for prior authorization.
“I think it will be something that needs to be discussed with the academic leaders in that department as to what can be done and what can’t be done,” said Fitzpatrick. “We’ll see, when the construction is complete, what plans will make sense.”
