Atwater lottery frustrates students

People dream of winning the lottery, but for off-campus students who depend on driving to classes on the south side of campus, losing the Atwater Garage lottery forces them to find alternative routes. \nLocated between Third Street and Atwater Avenue on Faculty Drive, the Atwater Garage is close to academic buildings, which makes it a popular parking spot among students who want to avoid using the bus systems. \nSophomore Adrianne Grenchik benefited from the Atwater permit last year and avoided using buses.\n"I find that the city buses are not reliable enough and that taking the stadium express can be a hassle at times," Grenchik said. "Plus, many of my classes are located along Third Street, so it is convenient to get to class."\nSenior John Waddell also has owned an Atwater permit in the past and hopes to receive one this year.\n"It makes my life a little easier," Waddell said. "I can park closer to campus and not have to wait on the bus."\nIn Waddell's case, having an Atwater permit saves him at least an hour each day, but Grenchik only saves 10 minutes if her class is near Third Street.\nStudents receive the often time-saving permit if they are selected from the lottery. According to the IU Parking Operations Web site, the primary lottery winners were announced Wednesday and a secondary lottery will occur Sept. 7.\nParking Operations Manager Doug Porter recommends that students who didn't receive an Atwater permit invest in an E permit and learn the bus schedule.\n"I compare it to students who live in Forest or Willkie who don't get a D permit," Porter said.\nPorter said the Atwater Garage has 650 parking spaces and parking operations gives 75 permits to students. \nThough one might suspect that the Atwater Garage has a problem with excessive illegal parking, Porter said the garage fills up relatively quickly with legal parking.\nCurrently Grenchik is prepared to "suck it up and ride the express" if she doesn't receive an Atwater permit this year, \n"They should decrease the number of permits they award in the lottery and also maybe have a lottery for Jordan," she said. "The Jordan lot is never full and would actually be more convenient for me."\n-- Contact staff writer Ashley Rhodebeck at arhodebe@indiana.edu .