Parking on campus:

8:44 am: Pulling on to Lipscomb’s campus, ready to start your day.

8:46 am: “Okay okay, where will I park?”

8:49 am: Still nowhere to park.

9:02 am: “That whole level is closed? What even is the Racquet Club?”

9:06 am: Parked. Mood: Significantly worse.

Parking is a problem that Lipscomb University has faced since (what seems like) the beginning of time. It's maddening. It's frustrating. It's… maybe not as bad as you think. There are 1,367 spots on this campus for students, including the 68 handicap-accessible spots. That number seems pretty irrelevant when it takes 20 minutes to find a parking spot on campus, but maybe we just aren’t looking in the right place.

There is an undeniable tension between the student body and the University when it comes to the situation at hand. However, most tension gets directed toward the officers from campus security. Officer Grant Robarts and Officer Christopher Warner want you to know that they have to face the same challenges too.

"We have to park here everyday too. If I don't get here on time, I'm just as frustrated."
Officer Grant Robarts

Where can we park?

We've all been there. Whether you’re just trying to get home to your dorm or trying to get to class, parking on campus has inevitably affected your day for the worse. The truth of the matter is, it's not parking on campus that isn’t accessible but “convenient parking” that's the problem, according to Robarts.

It comes down to time management...

“There's always gonna be that 10-15% that park wherever they want, no matter what.” He goes on to say that "the biggest violators are people that haven't managed their time appropriately. Explaining how he's driven around campus to find, what he calls, the most "creative" parking choices, while there are more than 50 legitimate spots easily available in the Stokes lot.

Former Metro school, Walter Stokes Elementary, located at 3701 Belmont Boulevard. The building now offers extra parking for University students.

Something has to change.

These "creative" spots can cause animosity between students and the officers on campus. These Officers do not make the rules; they are simply enforcing them. It is required by the State to have handicap spaces readily available for those who need the accessibility. It is also the Department's responsibility to ensure that emergency vehicles can reach any building efficiently. Those are the spots where you can get ticketed or towed. That being said, the Officers are actively creating new ways to assist students in facing the problem.

The Department of Security has recently renewed parking passes for the first time since 2016. With this new pass, students should also ensure their vehicle is registered with Security.

Photo from Lipscomb Student Kaylie Harpolsheimer

Photo from Lipscomb Student Marley Crouch

"If I have someone's phone number, I'll give them a call to see if they can move it before we tow a car every time. But if it's not registered, I don't know who they are."
Officer Grant Robarts

Running late for class? Park at Stokes, call ahead, and security will drive you to your building. Door to door service.

Parking in a space that could definitely be a spot? Officer Robarts and Officer Warner think that maybe you’re right. They have been actively painting some new spots that accommodate more parking.

Leaving after dark? Security will escort you back to Stokes if you’re feeling uneasy about it.

Subway Lot: the spot that will cost you

Lipscomb University does not have any control over the parking lot behind Subway and the Well. If you violate rules on our campus, you may be ticketed or towed to another Lipscomb lot. If you are caught parking in the lot behind Subway, it is a third-party towing service that is called, with fines reaching up to around $175.

Just to go over it again:

You can find student parking...

in the garage near the athletic fields and around the softball field,

around the intramural field,

and in the garage behind the village and the surrounding area.

but when in doubt... Just go to Stokes!

Maybe it is as bad as you think, maybe it isn't. There will still be on-campus events, Lipscomb Fridays and many more things that will draw in crowds to occupy the parking spots. That being said, Lipscomb Campus Security are ready to work with students to help with the issue that is parking.