PLAN PLENTY OF PARKING FOR RIVER CAMPUS

As recently noted in this space, the idea of a multilevel parking garage, centrally located on the campus of Southeast Missouri University, is one of the best ideas to come from the university in a long time.

Nothing generates more complaints right now than the parking situation at the university, particularly from students. Colleges and universities once upon a time were residential institutions. Students for the most part stayed in campus housing and walked to classes. That's not the case anymore. Today's students are more likely to be commuters, frequently traveling more than an hour to attend a couple of classes and then making the return drive. And today's students are more likely to hold jobs while attending school, making transportation a key issue for them.

While the university currently provides large parking lots mainly on the northern edge of campus and runs frequent shuttle buses to move students from those lots to classes, the plain fact is that many students regard both the location of the lots and the shuttles as an annoyance. As a result, city streets and even Capaha Park near the university are clogged with parked student vehicles during the school year. This is in spite of the fact that Capaha Park is just as far -- and an uphill walk -- from campus classrooms as the university-provided parking.

Part of the problem could be the permits that are required to park in the university lots. Whatever the reason, students don't rely as much as they could on university lots, choose to park on city streets and in parks and complain bitterly about the lack of parking on campus.

All of this sends up a red flag when plans for the proposed River Campus -- several blocks from the main campus -- show 300 parking spaces and when River Campus designers say additional parking might have to be developed off site. "This is a gorgeous site," said the designer who presented a model of the proposed River Campus at a recent Board of Regents meeting. "We don't want to pave it over with asphalt."

Indeed, the former St. Vincent's Seminary where the River Campus would be developed is probably the most beautiful site in Cape Girardeau. Its blufftop view of the Mississippi River -- one of the few unobstructed views anywhere in town -- makes the setting spectacular on that count alone. In addition, the designers have come up with ideas for new buildings that enhance the existing historic buildings.

But parking shouldn't be a complaint once the River Campus opens. Just shuttling back and forth between the main campus and the River Campus will be cause enough for student gripes. Why would any planner at this stage of the game want to compound the complaints by not providing for ample parking?

There are other parking options at the River Campus without covering the area with asphalt. Surely the university will have the foresight to make sure that parking isn't an issue when the campus is opened.