GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WITH CITY OF GREENVILLE TO ADDRESS PARKING ISSUES
Published: December 17, 2024
GREENVILLE, IL – Prairie Street residents, downtown businesses, and Greenville University students living in the new University Hall residence know that parking has been an issue since the start of the fall semester.
Greenville University anticipated a parking issue with the opening of the new residence hall, yet was unable to get a new parking system in place quickly enough for the fall semester start due to delays in the construction project and a change in its campus safety personnel from internal resources to Synergy, an outsourced partner. To offset early parking issues, the City of Greenville graciously provided non-ticketed parking for students at the nearby municipal lot as a temporary solution until the forthcoming plaza park is completed.
The challenge for GU's campus safety office over the fall semester has been enforcing parking on Prairie Street, which is a public street. While it is clear in the GU student handbook that residential students must park in residential lots, there are commuter students and Greenville residents who attend the University and its functions who utilize public parking near the University. Presently, they have the freedom to park on city streets, which are outside of the jurisdiction of the campus safety office.
The Greenville city council has discussed potential actions on speed limits, crosswalks, and parking on Prairie Street. GU President Suzanne Davis apologized for the parking issues this past fall, acknowledged the safety of students and residents as an issue on Prairie Street, and pledged cooperation with the city in devising both short- and long-term solutions to help alleviate the parking and safety problem for students and residents in the coming spring semester and beyond.
For fall 2025, Davis communicated a plan to remove student vehicles from the municipal parking lot. GU is also discussing parking plans by class rank. Students with a freshmen classification or under 20 credit hours will park in Lot J, diagonal to Whitlock Music Center, or in Lot L behind Burkhardt, which houses the University's business office. Other improvements will include moving to an electronic ticket system with more immediate notification and placing parking compliance boots on vehicles in violation. These changes should make for quicker response times from impacted students and result in more significant deterrents. Students with outstanding parking tickets cannot register for upcoming classes.
"Distance from the residence hall to parking anywhere on campus should not be an issue," says Jim Golder, Director of Security for Greenville University, reiterating Campus Safety's student services. "By simply dialing 7777, students can get a ride from their residence hall to their vehicle or from their vehicle to their residence hall. This service is provided to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
At the December 16 council meeting, the city acted to slow traffic on Prairie Street. President Davis thanked the city for moving to keep Prairie Street residents, drivers, and pedestrians safe. Davis committed that the University would contribute financially to the installation of eventual lighted stop signs on Prairie Street and increase its communications about parking regulations as students return to campus in January. GU’s campus safety office will collaborate with the Greenville Police Department to enforce the new regulations governing speed and parking.
Greenville University is committed to ensuring enough parking on campus for students and is examining opportunities for additional stakeholder parking for community residents who attend events with daytime parking, such as the daily lunch at the GU dining commons, which is open to the public.
In partnership with Fresh Ideas, the food service provider to Greenville University, residents of Greenville pay $10.50 for an all-you-can-eat daily lunch buffet at the University dining commons. GU also provides vouchers each semester for public servants to have a number of free meal passes. When those passes run out, the fee for public servants to dine on campus is $5.
Greenville University appreciates the actions of the Greenville City Council and will continue to partner with the City to enforce and communicate decisions regarding parking and traffic speed on Prairie Street in the interest of safety for residents and students alike.
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Greenville University thrives as a worldwide learning community of grateful and faithful Christ-followers who warmly welcome students from all over the globe. We see all persons within our ever-growing reach as bearers of God’s image and beneficiaries of God’s grace. Here, students are seen, known, and valued as global citizens fueled by immersive experiences, innovative learning, and a deeply connected community, anchored in a transformative relationship with God. Able and trusted guides help them live, learn, and grow into their unique God-given stories and callings.
Greenville University is an accredited Christian liberal arts university with more than 1,000 students, including traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the University is located in Greenville, Ill., 45 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. For more information, visit www.greenville.edu.
