Parking in the senior parking lot (often referred to as simply senior lot), beside Founders Hall, is a senior privilege for MBS students. Recently, however, this luxury has been looking less and less exclusive as more and more junior cars take up this sacred space. The lot represents more than a space to park for the seniors: a testament to their hard work in high school and the new freedoms ahead. 

According to the MBS Family Handbook, juniors are not allowed to park on campus. They are expected to park at the Westin Governor Morris Hotel, less than 1.5 miles away, where the school provides shuttling before and after school. The only exception to this is if a junior arrives late or has to leave early for sports. In this case, the student must notify the school and park in spaces near the baseball field, not in the senior lot. Kevin McDonald, Wellness Department and dean of the class of 2023 said, “If juniors ignore this expectation, typically [administration] might give a warning, but then follow up with detention if the actions continue.” 

Although faculty, staff and administration are enforcing rules when they need to, seniors are still frustrated with the junior class’ disrespect for this school tradition, and foresee the issue increasing when more juniors get their licenses in the early spring months. Charles “Mack” Plante ‘23 said, “When seniors start getting the privilege of coming to school after their free period, and juniors have taken the spots, [seniors] will have to make spots along the side of the lot, which will be a problem.” With college applications and challenging courses, perks like the senior lot can make senior year just a little more tolerable. While off-campus parking is inconvenient, it was something current seniors had to do the previous year. Fortunately,  faculty involvement helps deter juniors from filling the lot, but in Plante’s view, “it is not always easy to tell whether a car belongs to a junior, and many unauthorized cars go unreported.” 

While a majority of the junior class has been following expectations, there are some repeat offenders. Chelsea Gonzaga Torres ‘24 said, “some juniors park in the [senior lot], but their senior friends let it slide.” This kind of activity can be frustrating to the juniors who follow the school rule, and the seniors who do not want to give up their spots for other seniors’ “friends.” According to McDonald, there have been no official complaints so far, so there is the possibility parking is a real issue, but it is not being reported.

Whether the classes agree on the issue or not, the debate over fairness and equality is worth more than any parking spot, even if it happens to be in the senior lot.