AACC students said in February the detours and altered parking lots on the Arnold campus are making them late for class.

In an informal survey of 45 students on the Arnold campus, 20 complained about parking and traffic. On a five-point scale, one rated the situation as “negative 10.”

“I hate it,” Amber Kelley, a third-year nursing student, said. “Every morning I come in and think that I can go the short route and I can’t, and then I get behind all these people who don’t want to go anywhere … and then I’m late … each day,” she said.

The construction of the new Health and Life Sciences Building has created traffic detours and the removal of parking spots on campus.

College officials have redirected traffic from Ring Road through parking Lot C and have removed some parking spots in Lot D near the Dragun Building.

Because of the lack of parking in Lot D, spots for disabled drivers have moved to Lot B near the solar panels, leaving fewer spaces for other students, faculty and staff.

Construction of the new Health and Life Sciences Building, which will open in August 2021, began over the summer. The Ring Road detour started over winter break.

“[I’m] coming to [school] 30 minutes before [class] just to find parking,” said Aadil Shekh, a first-year computer science student.

“[The parking lot is] pretty lame,” said Alex Sawyer, a fourth-year Spanish education student.  “I’m not going to lie.”

Sawyer said students should not have added stress when coming into school in the morning.

“I get it; there’s no real way around it,” he said. “I’m probably the last person who should be complaining, because complaining is an aversion to problem solving.”

Eight students said the parking and traffic situation is not a problem for them.

“You just have to be more careful when you’re walking and …  parking,” Hunter Davis, a second-year mechatronics student, said. “Other than that, it’s been OK.”