The winter of 2015 is in full swing, as Springfield has gotten pummeled with snowstorm after snowstorm for the past month or so.

Students at American International College have enjoyed all the snow days, but unfortunately, that heavy snow accumulation has not been a welcome addition to the already iffy parking situation at AIC.

After dealing with the usual busy traffic conditions whether on I-91 or State Street or fighting through the painfully narrow residential streets, commuting students are often treated to long searches in each of the three commuter parking lots.

Commuters are getting frustrated that the parking lots have seemed disastrous at times. Senior Chelsea Kemembin wishes she could just get a spot without a hassle for once.

“It’s no wonder that people wonder why I walk in late sometimes,” Kemembin said. “Due to all the snow, there’s not much available space to park at AIC without having to worry about getting a parking ticket or getting towed, and it’s not just from the campus police. We have to worry about the city police since a lot of us are forced onto the streets,” she added.

Kemembin also mentioned that she’s seen a lot of drivers around the lots and on the surrounding streets hit other parked cars mirrors, but they continue on with no regard.

Adding to the frustration, long lines of cars trying to get home are commonplace, especially in the lot off of Oak Grove Avenue. While the parking lot on Maynard Street (a little further away from the campus) seems a little more quiet, many of the commuters in the Oak Grove lot get done with class around the same time in the early afternoon, with a long line of cars stretching from deep in the parking lot, all the way up to the stoplight at State Street.

As for the faculty parking lots, the staff at AIC haven’t had as much trouble with their parking situation. Professor Mary Ellen Lowney is pleased with her regular parking lot, and hasn’t had too much trouble getting in and out.

“The staff parking lot I use has snow piles along the sides but overall is in pretty good shape. I’d say considering the winter it looks fantastic,” Lowney said.

Basically, you’re pretty much screwed if you don’t have an early class that allows you the chance to get a good parking space while the lots are still empty. But students who only come in for a class or two in the middle of the day are likely in for lots of aggravating trips up and down each row of parking.

Oh, and the typical two lane side streets that surround campus and lead to the lots are now poorly treated, claustrophobic one lane passageways. This only adds to the delays and irritating winter travel. But that’s a whole other story.

Meanwhile, in the student lots, commuters continue to be irritated by the long lines, the tight and sometimes boxed-in parking, the snow piles taking up valuable spaces, and the poor street parking.

While the parking situation has gotten a little better in comparison to the first initial days after we got pounded by the storms, it still hasn’t been smooth sailing in any of the commuter lots. Hopefully, we’ve seen the last of the major snowfall in 2015; spring is coming soon, right?