If the resolution is considered for university development, the old Michigan State Police, or MSP, headquarters on Harrison Road, will be demolished and turned into a parking garage.

Parking is hard to come by on campus, and adding any parking lots in the heart of campus only would increase the already heavy traffic flow during class hours — but the location of an added parking garage in place of MSP would be ideal.

The location is far enough from busy foot traffic to not interfere and cause any problems. If any parking structure was added too close to the center of campus, it only would increase traffic and congestion.

Yet students and faculty are not the only ones in need of somewhere to park their cars. With the budding success of MSU athletics, MSU lacks adequate parking for visitors and out-of-town fans traveling in for sporting events.

ASMSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources representative Nick Schlatter was quoted in a recent article (“Students advocate for new parking facility,” SN 11/27) saying more fans are traveling into East Lansing with not enough places to park.

“(It would) be really nice to have a big parking garage right next to the sports venues to allow people less of a commute to the stadium,” he said.

Although an additional parking garage would be beneficial to those traveling in, the university would need to set rules against tailgating to ensure that the structure is used for its correct purpose.

Ramp 3, off of Shaw, is located only a few blocks from Spartan Stadium, yet it is filled with tailgaters during every home football game, taking away parking spots.

MSU officials would need to instate rules to avoid the structure being used for the purpose of tailgating and partying before games.

Another option for the university is to utilize the space it already has.
Lot 89, the commuter lot, is located on the corner of Mt. Hope Road and Farm Lane on the perimeter of campus. It would be a great spot for a parking structure instead of just a lot, especially with the CATA Route 32 bus running to and from the location.

Although ASMSU’s resolution would be beneficial to MSU just because they are proposing the idea to university officials does not ensure that the officials will consider it.

The university has other options to expand parking on campus besides building a structure in place of MSP. Whether they choose to take ASMSU’s resolution into consideration or not, a change must still be made so students and faculty can have more parking options.