Quinnipiac University’s department of public safety decided to close Hogan Lot on the Mount Carmel campus for the remainder of the semester beginning on Sept. 28.

“We have been seeing much lower utilization of Hogan Lot, with only 39% of the lot’s capacity used daily and significant available capacity in our on-campus lots,” said John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations. “As a result, it was not cost effective to dedicate public safety resources to continue staffing the Hogan Lot, and those resources will be used elsewhere on our campuses.”

All vehicles that remain in the lot after the designated date will be issued a citation and towed at the owner’s expense. Any student who is currently parked in Hogan Lot can now park in either the Hilltop or North Lots.

“We do not anticipate any changes in ride share services or student pick-ups, other than rideshare services now using the North Lot in front of the Athletic and Recreation Center on the Mount Carmel Campus as their designated pick up and drop off location instead of the Hogan Lot.” Morgan said.

Morgan said COVID-19 had no direct effect on the lot closing and there is no set decision on if the lot will reopen for the spring semester.

“I’m incredibly disappointed with the faculty for their decision,” said Robert Markman, a sophomore marketing major. “I reached out to Shannon Grasso asking for an explanation, and I haven’t heard back from her, which is upsetting as there is no communication from the faculty.”

Markman said he frequently uses the parking lot to pick up food deliveries and to park his car.

“I want to emphasize that there’s really no reason to shut it down,” Markman said. “Without a reasonable explanation, it just seems rash and unnecessary. With no communication whatsoever, the student population is left in the dark.”

Students are worried that the university’s decision to close the lot will ultimately cause crowding in other lots throughout the campus.

“I don’t use it, so I’m not particularly bothered,” said Julia Cosica, a senior film major. “It’ll definitely make the North Lot a lot busier, and it’s bad enough as is.”

Maureen Okang, a sophomore biology major, currently commutes to her in-person classes. She said she is already planning on changing her schedule to arrive earlier on campus to ensure herself a parking spot.

“Parking is going to become a lot harder for commuters,” Okang said. “We only have the option to park in the designated commuter area in North Lot and in the main North Lot. If both lots are already filled, it’s going to be very hard to find spaces.”

Okang said that the commuter parking lot is very small and given the amount of commuters going to the school, she believes having more cars in the North Lot will have a direct effect on commuters’ time and schedules.

Alyssa Arends, a first-year political science major, lives across the street from Hogan Lot in the Mountainview residence hall. She said the decision is very inconvenient for residents that live in her building.

“Hogan Lot closing is a little frustrating because having food delivered right outside my dorm used to be an alternative to going to the rat or cafe,” Arends said. “Walking all the way to the North Lot for food defeats the purpose of ordering food off campus.”

Besides conflicts with food deliveries, students are concerned how this will affect their accessibility for being picked up.

“As a student without a car on campus, the closing of Hogan Lot is extremely frustrating,” said Lauren Hamilton, a sophomore law in society major. “My parents always pick me up there for doctor appointments and it is so much easier. I just am unsure as to why there is a need to close the lot after hearing many students, like myself, use it very frequently.”

Hamilton said Hogan Lot is a central location for students on campus to get picked up, use rideshare services and get food deliveries. She stated that in the times she has visited the lot, it has always been full and in-use by a lot of students on campus.

Students with any questions or concerns regarding the new changes are encouraged to contact public safety at (203) 582-6200.