Students are struggling more than ever to find convenient parking at Wichita State.

The lack of parking space has been a long-standing problem on campus, and the problem has increased. Now that the Rhatigan Student Center parking lot is closed for construction equipment and vehicles, other parking lots on the south side of campus aren’t able to accommodate all the misplaced vehicles.

“It takes me about five minutes to find a spot every morning now,” said freshman Huong Pham. “There’s just not enough room in these two parking lots.

“I have to get here early to find a spot, but sometimes I can’t, so I’m late to class,” he said.

Many students have resorted to parking off the main campus.

Health professions senior Kiley Schmidt parks in the lot south of 17th St. when the other lots are full.

“Parking is too full on campus now. Other days I’ve come early and been able to find a spot on campus, but I can’t always, so I have to park over here,” Schmidt said. “I wish I could park closer to Ahlberg Hall.”

The more limited parking isn’t only causing problems for the students.

Parking has been a mild problem at Sigma Phi Epsilon, the fraternity just off of 17th St. on Vassar Street.

“A lot of people park in front of our house on the street, but there’s nothing we can really do about that because it’s not technically part of the fraternity,” said Kerry Maris, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Many people are glad that this project has started during the summer while attendance is lower but worry about how parking problems will increase when the fall semester begins.

“The fall semester will probably be when the problems kick in because it’ll be colder weather and people won’t want to walk as far,” Maris said.

Chris Ruder, a student intern at Wichita Public Radio KMUW, said that parking at the station just south of campus hasn’t been a problem so far, but imagines it will be.

“There will be a lot more people parking over here next semester if the RSC parking lot is still closed,” he said.

Pham believes the parking situation could be improved.

“I think they should just close half the parking lot because they don’t need the whole thing for storage and stuff,” he said.