My wife happened to pick up a copy of the Bradley Scout while walking through campus the other day, and this article on the new five-story parking deck at Main and Maplewood caught my attention:

Parking deck isn’t used to full capacity

The Main West Parking Deck is a year old, but it isn’t being used to its full capacity.

The deck, located on the corners of Main Street and Maplewood Avenue, was built in August 2008 for commuter students, faculty and staff with a valid permit, said Charmin Hibberd, director of Conference Facilities and Parking.

But Hibberd added that the deck isn’t being fully used.

She said the current construction on the Athletic Performance Arena, occurring directly next to the parking deck, is likely deterring students, faculty and staff from the area.

“People are leery of walking through there, even though there is a sidewalk and it’s safe,” Hibberd said.

She also said some students and faculty have told her they think the deck is too far from the buildings they visit most often.

The article goes on, but I couldn’t get past that last sentence. The deck is “too far from the buildings they visit most often”? What buildings are they visiting? From the parking deck to the opposite corner of campus is about a quarter of a mile. Considering the average person walks about three miles an hour, that represents a five-minute walk at most. How much closer do these students and faculty expect to be able to park? Is walking up to five minutes from your car to your class really that inconvenient? Or have college students just become so lazy and auto-dependent that they can’t travel more than a few feet on foot nowadays?

No wonder obesity is on the rise on college campuses.