Tulane University’s Parking Services announced in June that sophomores and juniors living on campus are no longer eligible to purchase parking passes due to multiple construction projects.  

These restrictions correspond to Tulane’s record campus growth in recent years.   

“Over the last decade, Tulane has experienced historic, unprecedented growth in our physical campuses, both uptown and downtown, in the quality of the students and faculty we attract, and in our life-changing research, scholarship and clinical care,” Tulane spokesman Mike Strecker, said. “This growth has increased demand for limited parking spaces on the uptown campus.”  

Some students, however, were not prepared for the new change. 

“I felt completely blindsided,” sophomore Lora Cole said. “I was here over the summer, and I had already brought my car down to campus before they had made that announcement and even had bought a summer spot. So, I got the notification, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t know what to do with my car now.’”  

This change is common at many urban universities, Strecker said.  

“Similar parking policies are in place at most urban universities throughout the country,” Strecker said. “We know that transportation is vital to students’ campus experience which is why we offer several robust and convenient transit options.”  

Without guaranteed spots, some students now park their cars on streets off campus.  

“I’ve been late to class a couple times because I’m trying to find parking in the neighborhood,” junior Avery Burks said. “The people in the neighborhoods are pissed that we’re parking in their neighborhood.”  

Juniors can park for free Downtown in the LaSalle Garage and take a shuttle to the Uptown campus, while commuter students still have access to spaces in Diboll Parking Garage. 

Some students question Tulane’s transparency, arguing that the university has minimized the problem instead of directly addressing it. 

“I know sometimes they email students about when it’s closing, but I feel like they don’t really inform students,” graduate student Sabrina Skyer said. “I feel like they’re trying to hide the fact that there’s not a lot of parking.”