Imagine, on a rainy day, you are trying to park your Honda but feel a thump in the gravel parking lot, and you realize you have hit a pothole yet again. This is an aggravating but frequent scenario when it comes to parking in the Loomis Chaffee unofficial senior parking lot, also known as the Gravel Lot. The parking lot’s uneven terrain and lack of lines complicate parking, and poor weather only exacerbates these issues. Makeshift repairs don’t last very long. Because the senior lot is one of the few senior traditions at Loomis, more permanent fixes should be made, but the problem would be greatly mitigated if students parked properly.

Day student Elliot Shani ’23 noted there are “huge divots in the ground.” 

Walking through the muddy rocks and deep puddles is even worse when trying to fit through narrow spaces due to severely faulty parking jobs. 

The senior parking lot’s absence of parking lines makes it more difficult for students to park correctly. In fact, an Instagram account (lc_badparking) was created to highlight LC students’ egregious parking jobs. 

Day student Will Howley ’23 said, “Many seniors are not skilled at parking.” This in turn leads to the parking lot being completely filled because “people double park.” 

Day student Sandro Mocciolo ’23 added, “some people’s parking is sub-par.”

So the question arises: is the parking lot’s bad state of affairs an issue of Loomis Chaffee’s maintenance of the gravel lot, or do students need to learn how to properly park? 

Howley said, “this issue stems from the lack of parking lines, but is worsened by students’ incapability of parking.” 

Shani also mentioned that Loomis’ senior parking is “terrible,” saying that it is “too small” and that “oftentimes you cannot find anywhere to park and you end up late for class.” 

Another crucial factor is the reserved faculty parking spaces in the senior lot, which are sometimes not taken and thus leaving less room for the seniors to park. 

 Clearly, Loomis needs to make some changes. The seniors do not have many traditions. Alongside the senior path, the only other prominent tradition is the senior parking lot. This parking lot should be repaired, at the very least having potholes removed. Also, seniors should be more mindful of their surroundings in order for others to have a less stressful parking experience.