Off-campus students have a hard time finding parking at Multnomah in the mornings. With the addition of a new men's dorm and a new seminary building and with a rapidly growing student body, the problem will only grow worse. How serious is the lack of parking, and what can be done about it?

Jake Smith, who commutes from Vancouver, Wash., said he makes sure to arrive between 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m. to find a parking spot on campus. When he comes after 10 a.m., he has to park on a street bordering campus. Jon and Lisa Bryant, who commute from 60th Avenue, find parking most difficult after 9 a.m. Often he resorts to parking on the street -- but open spots are scarce there, too.

"Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are the busiest; Tuesdays and Thursdays a little bit less," Lieutenant Doug McGrew, said addressing the parking situation. "Close to every spot is taken from around 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 4 p.m." According to Lieutenant McGrew, Multnomah has approximately 360 parking spots "give or take 10," and 3,680 permits are registered: 2876 B-permits, or student permits, and 804 A-permits, or staff and faculty permits. These permits have been issued in the past 10 years; this number includes those who have recently graduated or are no longer taking classes here. Campus Services does not keep track of the number of cars registered each year.

With plans for a new men's dorm, Multnomah will soon have even fewer parking spots. "I think they need to work something out with Central Bible Church," Jon Bryant said. This might not be a bad idea for the future, but most students would prefer to park on or near the campus. Students don't like having to park far away. Another solution is to turn the field between the gym and the women's dorm into a parking lot or parking structure. Perhaps another option would be to construct a parking lot under the new men's dorm or seminary building.

If the college cannot expand parking soon, it should encourage off-campus students, faculty and staff to commute, using alternative transportation. Multnomah should arrange reduced bus rates for students or coordinate carpools. Because this parking dilemma concerns us all, Multnomah needs to seriously evaluate the situation.