Having a car and being able to drive off campus is one of the only “leg ups” day students are known to have over boarders, but the restrictions sometimes rain on that parade for day students, too.
When it comes to comfort during free blocks and after-school socialization, it’s most likely that boarders will take the win. On the other hand, Starbucks and McDonald’s runs and the ability to head home whenever you want spark envy among even the most campus-loving boarders. Still, many day students agree that Williston could loosen the leash on parking and taking breaks from campus.
The boarders have dorms and common rooms. The day students have the Day Student Lot, or the “DSL”. It’s no glamourous or new John Hazen, or Emily McFadon Vincent House – simply the lot behind Scott Hall, filled with the cars of faculty, staff, and upperclassmen. It has its perks; one can pull in at 8:29 on the dot and make it to science class on time, or a couple minutes earlier and walk into English or Math before 8:30. What parking at the DSL is not admired for is its distance from the chapel, the athletic center, and Lossone Rink, or the rules that day students are obliged to follow once they earn the seeming rite of passage: their license and a car.
One of the common complaints from day students surrounding the rules of parking and driving at Williston is that day students are only allowed to park at the DSL.
“The no parking at the athletic center rule is frustrating at times, especially when you have to carry a lot of gear, and especially if it’s raining or the weather sucks,” said Alex Landon, a junior day student from Longmeadow.
A senior day student from Westfield, Vivian Walker, agrees, and brings up that inconvenient afternoon program scheduling often adds to the struggle of leaving your car at the DSL.
“It’s understandable when it’s a game day because parents deserve priority, but for late practices, especially such as open lift, which starts at 7… I think we should at least be able to park there for late practices like that. There are people in the winter who have 8 o’clock practices at the rink, too, and I don’t think that’s valid [to prohibit parking at the rink]. Nobody else is parking there at that time.”
“We absolutely should be able to leave during the day. We’re day students, we’re not obliged to stay here. If you’re not looking after us the rest of the day, we shouldn’t have to stay. After school is our free time, forcing us to stay doesn’t make sense,” Maddy McCarthy, a senior from Turners Falls, expresses to The Willistonian.
Maddy is not wrong; while the boarders often spend their after-school free time in the comfiness and privacy of their dorm rooms, while the day students have the luxury of choosing to linger in Reed, the library, the athletic center, or in their cars.
While it is nice to use the time between class and afternoon program to study or sit at the StuBop, many day students have expressed the desire to enjoy being at home instead.
“Considering there’s no places for day students to go… if you have a double free and live 10 minutes away, I think you should be able to go home and take a nap,” Vivian said.
Alex, when asked if he is bothered by the restrictions on going home between an after-school commitment or during a free, said he has grown indifferent to it, as the complaint has already been mentioned in Student Council.
“It definitely is annoying, but I’d say I’ve kind of just learned to just deal with it – it is what it is. On Student Council, we’ve talked about it and it doesn’t seem like it would ever be possible to change it.”
Despite the likeliness that the leash on day students leaving campus will remain tight, student body president, senior Isabel Baxter-Paris, also from Longmeadow, said that Student Council is still putting in effort to make driving and parking at Williston a good experience for day students.
“Student Council is in favor of assigned parking spots to prevent overcrowding during the spring, which is when everyone, like younger upperclassmen and sophomores get their licenses,” Isabel informed the Willistonian.
She adds that, for that to happen, “According to Coach K… every single day student driver needs to register their car and put a decal on it.”
Vivian, too, said that assigned parking spots would be beneficial for day students who can drive.
“Especially in the spring, when everyone has their license and there are no spots left, upperclassmen should get priority and new sophomores can park at admissions,” she said.
She added that it would enforce accountability, as well: “You would know who is responsible for certain accidents, like scratches or things like that because you know who’s supposed to be parking next to you.”
The day student experience will never be perfect, and the same can be said for the boarding experience. Ultimately, when it comes to free time, everybody wants a little piece of home, whether that means one’s house in Westfield or Longmeadow, or a dorm room in Wold or Mem West.
