UNA has recently relocated its freshman off-campus parking lot from in front of Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant on Florence Boulevard to the Woodmont Baptist Church lot on Darby Drive.

University police Chief Bob Pastula said the construction at the previous lot made it hard to maneuver in and out, so the official freshman lot had to be moved.

“This lot is also convenient because it’s on the way to the east campus and it’s well-lit,” Pastula said.

Pastula began searching for alternate lots when the need arose. Woodmont Baptist Church offered its lot for the university to use free of charge. This saves the university money because there was a rental fee at the previous lot.

“In order to continue to save the university and students money, ad space will soon be sold on the shuttle buses,” Pastula said.

Pastula said both the old and new lots have 200 parking spots, but Woodmont officials said they were told only 40 or 50 spots would be used.

Many students have expressed negative opinions about the shuttle buses on social media outlets, but sophomore Morgan Burks willingly rides the bus instead of trying to park on campus.

“For me, it’s just easier to park there because I come from Saint Florian,” she said.

Burks has been riding the shuttle bus since she was a freshman. She said the change in parking lots did not inconvenience her, but it seems as if there has been a decrease in riders since classes began this semester.

However, Larry Sanders said he hasn’t seen a decrease. He said there are approximately 250 students riding the bus, though it varies by days.

“We still have some (students) that are parking at (the old lot), but at the end of next week we’ll no longer pick up there,” he said.

Even though some students are not happy with the shuttle buses, there are some who are very pleased. Lyndsee Piersol, freshman, said she thinks riding the bus is easier than trying to park on campus.

“I know I’ll be on time, and I don’t have to deal with parking issues,” she said.

The off-campus lots are targeted specifically toward freshmen because they are the newest students on campus, Pastula said.

“We have enough spots for upperclassmen, so freshmen were the obvious choice,” he said.

The main goal in creating off-campus parking was to prevent rules against freshmen having cars on campus like other universities have done.

As long as students take care of the Woodmont parking lot and the church allows the university back, it will be fairly permanent, Pastula said.

“We’re exploring other options as well,” he said.