Damaged Decks and Parking Mayhem

By Courtney Hibler

Jambar Contributor

Students at Youngstown State University have a variety of opinions when it comes to parking on campus and the structures they park in.

During the 2016 spring semester at YSU, the M-60 Deck, located on Fifth Ave. and Arlington St., showed sign of major damage.

A large slab of concrete broke off from the deck’s ceiling and landed on a student’s car, causing the back window to shatter and the trunk to be smashed.

Krista Neff, an early childhood education student at YSU, was the student whose vehicle was damaged.

Neff said the debris caused multiple scratches on the surface of her car and YSU didn’t claim responsibility for the accident.

“They said I had to claim it on my personal insurance and they were not responsible,” Neff said. “I never even got a call from any YSU representative to even apologize or check in on the situation.”

Kristen Richter, a music education student at YSU, said parking decks should be inspected more often.

“If a slab of concrete fell onto someone’s car, then it’s not hard to imagine what other horrible accidents could happen,” Richter said. “It’s a really terrifying idea.”

The M-60 Deck isn’t the only deck that has shown damage. Students parking in the M-30 Deck, located on Wick Ave., have noticed small chunks of the ceiling falling to the ground.

“Someone should do an inspection of the Wick Deck,” Zoey Christy, YSU education student, said. “I think that if they just remodeled the decks everything would be just fine.”

Richter said the Wick Deck seems safe to her, but M-60 has caused damage to her own vehicle.

“I have hit curbs or scraped walls trying to get around in there and I know other people have too,” Richter said. “The layout doesn’t seem very functional at all.”

Bobbie Reinhart, an early childhood and art education student at YSU, said the M-60 deck needs to be closed and reconstructed.

“I drive a Saturn VUE and I’m always worrying about having enough room to maneuver throughout the deck,” Reinhart said. “It’s truly a pain and it needs to be updated.”

Other complaints include M-60 having too many sharp turns, inclines and not enough parking spaces.

Alexandra Watkins, a YSU nursing student, said she has never had problems involving the decks, but parking can be an issue.

“It’s hard to find parking later in the day,” Watkins said. “The Fifth Ave. deck is more convenient for students, but it’s very small.”

Jacob Turner, a mechanical engineering student at YSU, has a more positive outlook on the parking decks.

“I’m sure these structures were designed by a professional engineer with factored safety loads to ensure the buildings will withstand what’s required of them,” Turner said.

The damage Neff’s car received gave her a different opinion on the overall situation.

“I feel as a student that pays full tuition every semester, the university could have handled this situation better,” Neff said.