Parking at SUNY Buffalo State starting to cause problems

Parking at SUNY Buffalo State starting to cause problems

By Errol Evans

          Parking is an important matter to look into when applying for colleges. Depending on where you decide to go, the rules on parking and cars are different. Some students approve of their school’s parking systems, while others are against it.

            SUNY Buffalo State has always been a big school for commuters, so having enough parking spots is important. To park on the Buffalo State campus, you’re required to have a parking permit. These parking permits cost $70 seventy dollars and must be picked up from the police station on campus.  Any student who commutes can buy the permit but freshmen and sophomores who live on campus cannot have a car parked on campus.

            “Buffalo State parking is the worst part about this school, I hate it,” said Oliver Jones. Jones is a junior who lives on Grand Island. Jones said it only takes about 10 minutes to get to campus, but sometimes he has to wait up to 30 minutes to find parking spots after about 9 in the morning. Jones said it’s not only hard to find spots everyday but the cops ticket student often. “  

            “It seems like the police on campus are out to get the students with parking tickets, even though they know half the reason we’re parking in the wrong spots is because there are no spots and we want to get to class on time,”said Jones.

            “Parking isn’t that much of a problem for me, honestly,” said Dean Caldwell. Caldwell is a senior engineering major who lives on campus. Caldwell has a car on campus and claims it’s easier for him since he sleeps on campus and his car always has a spot.

            “It’s annoying how crowded the lots are during the school week,” Caldwell complained.

             On the Buffalo State campus there are student parking lots and parking spots where only staff can park. While students can’t park in the teacher’s spots, teachers can park in the student spots. Except for in Lot I-33. Any type of parking violation results in a $25 for each time you get caught in the wrong spot or without parking permit.   

              Parking is a big issue on the SUNY Buffalo State campus that hopefully will be improved in the near future to satisfy its it’s commuting community a little more.  Until then, students can only do their best to get to school early and keep their eyes open for those open parking spots.

Freshman housing forces students to triple up

Freshman housing forces students to triple up

By Errol Evans

Dorming on a college campus will always be a different experience for anyone coming into college for the first time. All freshmen that enrolled at SUNY Buffalo State had the unique experience of living with two roommates instead of the usual one.

Not only have most of these freshmen come from home, where they either have their own room or share with a sibling, now they must move into a smaller room with two strangers.

Dean J. Reinhart is the college’s associate director of admissions. According to Reinhart, one of the college’s goals coming into this semester was to increase its enrollment.

            “Every room is a triple, so everyone will be equally miserable” Reinhart said. “But it will make for an experience for the freshmen to bond over .”

Reinhart said roughly 600 more freshmen were accepted this semester than last year.

“It’s just so hectic this year, something new happens every day” said Ronald Dupree, a residential assistant in Neumann Hall, a freshmen dorm on campus. Dupree is a junior, who also plays on the football team at Buffalo State. A residential assistant is a student who is responsible for a floor of a dorm building; they’re also known as RAs.

Dupree said that with every room being a triple, now there are always inner-room conflicts going on that he has to deal with. Dupree also explained how the visitor limit for each person is I now one visitor per resident, as oppose to the usual two.

“Students don’t like the new visitor rule, but it’s needed for safety reasons,” Dupree said.

As freshmen on the Buffalo State campus, you have three options as to what dorms you want to live in. These options are Perry Hall, Porter Hall and Neumann Hall. All these dorms are filled with other freshmen. Porter is the biggestt of the three and is one of the tallest buildings on campus with nine floors.

John Rogers is a freshman from Long Island who lives in Porter Hall.

“I love having a triple. I’m an only child at home so it’s like having two brothers I’ve never had,” said Rogers. Rogers believes having a triple is all a part of the college experience and it almost forces him to be social.

“It will be good to have a double next year, but I’ll never forget all my experiences this year,” he said.

Buffalo State students have a great chance to make good friends and really start their college experience off with a bang with the new triple room format. Even though there are mixed reviews among students about this system, everyone will have to deal with it for at least one full year.

Campus Food gets mixed reviews among students

By Errol Evans

            College food has always been a big change for new students living on campus. Not only is it food you’re not used to eating not made by your parent’s hand, either.

Many college students have a hard time adjusting to this food while others seem to adjust rather quickly.  

            On the SUNY Buffalo State campus, students have a few dining options.  Most of these options are conveniently located in the student union, which is in the center of campus. (One dining option is in the library, plus I see Lloyd’s Taco Truck after class every Monday and Wednesday) Inside the union, there are two different styles of dining:, retail dining and residential. Residential dining is an all -you- an-eat, one- price, buffet-style cafeteria, where you can sit and eat until you’re full. While in residential dining, there’s an assortment of foods you can eat while inside, however you cannot bring the foods out of the cafeteria.

Retail dining are small versions of food businesses that sell specific things. On the retail dining side, there are seven different spots to get a meal: Subway, 2.Mato, Bluw, Salsarita’s, Chop’d, Train Grill, and Roots.  Each sells different styles of food, from Caribbean to Italian. Retail dining also has a Spot Coffee and a Jamba Juice for drinks.

Michael Wreh is a transfer student from Monroe Community College, who “hates” the food in the residential dining.

          “It’s always the same nasty food, and they always run out of drinks” try not to go in there as much as possible” Wreh said. He said his favorite place on campus is the Train Grill.“I know it’s not the best for me but the patty melts are to die for.”

  Aaron Ertel, a junior football player, said, “I love residential dining. I can eat all I want, and it’s great for after practice.”

Ertel is a native of Buffalo but he lives on campus for the convenience it provides with football.

 “Even though I live on campus, I go home often to get a good home-cooked meal. “I like to eat Subway on campus because it’s healthy and I can put it in the fridge and eat it later.”

Buffalo State has many dining options that have mixed reviews from different students. However it seems everyone who eats on campus can find at least one thing they enjoy.  All in all, Buffalo State seems to have a wide variety of food to eat on campus, which can only help in attracting future students.