The College’s decision to build new parking lots comes as a preemptive measure for the construction of new on-campus student housing. But falling trees for more parking spaces undermines efforts to encourage car alternatives and is an unnecessary part of an unappealing, unnecessary move toward an entirely residential campus.

There are other options. Many campuses prohibit parking for all or some of their students, and Oberlin has prohibited cars for first-years in the past. For necessary trips off of campus we have CityWheels (for which you have to be at least 21 years old) and Lorain County Transit. The administration should consider a stronger partnership with both organizations, and be working to improve their efficiency. There are also a noticeable number of parking spaces that remain available at the Union Street apartments, which could be better advertised, as well as half-empty faculty lots that could be opened to students.

Currently, the Dean of Students sends a letter to new students detailing the pros and cons of having a car on campus, but the Office of Admissions should heavily emphasize the “walkability” (and “bikeability”) of Oberlin. Here, bike riding is already the norm, and on this small campus it takes less than 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other. Remember OB Fit? 

Oberlin is a small, flat, pedestrian campus. Far too often, students are driving to class (from Village housing). It’s also dangerously tempting to jump in and drive to Wal-Mart for cheaper groceries, but students should remember the importance of buying locally. Shop downtown to help suffering local businesses and preserve Oberlin’s rich history.

The parking lot hype is in part a response to a decision arrived at by the College parking committee and the town: for every two new beds on campus, there must be a new parking space. But just as this is an excessive number of parking spaces, we are weary of these new buildings. As off-campus housing provides its own parking spaces, the fact that the College cut this deal suggests that it is planning for a future that does not depend in the slightest on these off-campus spots, stripping us of the opportunity to live off-campus.

President Krislov argues that having the entire student population living on campus will serve to foster a stronger community. But Oberlin is already a community. Living “off campus” in Oberlin means living behind Mudd, next to the Cat or half a block from the Conservatory. And yet off-campus houses provide an escape from the stifling clusters of four college-kid apartments, giving the feeling of an independent household.

A sense of community is not restricted to on-campus. The chance to live next to and form neighborly relations with townspeople is special to off-campus students. Also, student bonds forged in a semi-isolated living situation — where you don’t have the option of calling ResEd to switch your roommates every time there is a problem — prove to be just as strong. When it snows, you might just have to shovel your own walkways.

Obies tend to flounder in a number of ways after graduation — trying to find jobs in a suit-and-tie world, for instance — and off-campus housing is the least the College can provide to promote independence and help ease the transition. Communicating with landlords, subletting rooms, paying utilities, cooking food, cleaning bathrooms, dealing with squatters: These are the integral skills that off-campus students learn. And if you must have one, you can store your car in your own driveway.