August 18, 2012 | SharkAdmin “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” – T.S. Elliot Now there’s a little food for thought. I always think of the start of a new semester as a new beginning. Of course, some of you may be contemplating the end of your summer vacations – with both regret and anticipation. Others – especially in the Student Success area – may be thinking, “Will this registration ever end, so that we can begin a new semester?” Then there are those of us muddling through trying to get ready for the fall semester and wishing for just a little more preparation time. I must confess a certain dread of the traffic and parking madness I am certain to encounter on Monday, Aug. 27. And yet, if I think back to past fall semester beginnings, I can picture the faces of the students, and I remember with excitement, why I am here and what we will all do that first day to create great beginnings for our students. So, welcome to the beginning of a new semester; the end of registration – almost, and the muddling through together. Park Smart While Northwest Vista is getting a parking garage, the road to see it completed will be bumpy. The campus loses about 300 parking spaces during the construction phase of the parking garage. The 700-space-garage (netting about 550 new spaces) will be completed in July 2013. It will be located in Lot 6, adjacent to Huisache Hall and the Boardwalk. During the construction period, the college will continue to provide additional parking at an exterior lot located off of Military Drive and Ellison, which is owned by our good neighbors at SeaWorld (who do not charge us for the use of their parking). We will have up to four buses shuttling students to our campus from the exterior lot. I encourage you to carpool if possible and/or to park at the SeaWorld lot to avoid the campus parking challenges. If you are on campus in the mornings, try to arrive prior to 8:30 a.m. to ensure a campus parking space. Also do not forget to purchase your new parking permit to park on campus. After the first week or so of classes, the police will be ticketing any vehicles on campus without permits. We will be sending out messages to students about the parking situation, but for those who do not see the information prior to the start of classes, faculty can help by encouraging students to park at the SeaWorld lot and look to the campus Website for updates. Below are a few tips to remember for parking and to pass along to students this semester.Tips/Info for parking this semester: Parking on Campus During the early part of the semester try to arrive at NVC or the Sea World lot at least 1 hour prior to the start of your first class. Carpool if you can. Get your permit park on campus (you may pay on-line but have to go to the Bursar’s office to pick it up. To see pricing, click here. Parking tickets will be issued for cars parked illegally; parking illegally in slots reserved for handicapped or obstructing traffic could result in the vehicle being towed. And remember not to leave your valuables in your car; you do not want to invite theft. Shuttle Service The private shuttle bus service starts at 7 a.m. from the SeaWorld lot. The last shuttle bus to return students to the SeaWorld lot will leave NVC at 8:45 p.m. Shuttle buses run Monday – Thursday only. Shuttle busses will not run during finals. The wait time for a shuttle is about 10 minutes during peak times. Other Transportation Options VIA public bus passes can be purchased at the NVC Business Office at the Cypress Campus Center. To see the VIA bus schedule that includes Northwest Vista College, click here.
