Q. Should I bring my car to Smith?
A. You should evaluate your needs and position first.
If you're a first year, don't even bother pondering this question for now. You're not allowed to have a car with you at school, and if you do, you're being an asshole because you're taking spots away from upperclass Smithies who have waited their turn to bring their cars. Don't be an asshole. You'll live without your SUV, I promise.
If you're a sophomore, junior, or senior, think about what you would need a car for. Do you go home or visit distant off-campus locations frequently? Do you need to buy groceries, or get to doctor's appointments? Do you have a pet at Smith, or some plants, or lots and lots of belongings that would be hard to take home on public transportation? These are all good reasons to have a car on campus.
You may not want to bring a car if all you'll need it for is going home during breaks, or visiting the mall occasionally. Public transportation can step in nicely for your car here, and you can spare yourself the extra responsibility.
Some downsides of having a car on campus to ponder: first, parking is an absolute nightmare. Even if you have a decal you may not be able to find a spot, and not being able to find a spot sucks. Second, decals for on-campus parking are very expensive, and hard to get if you're not a senior or a lucky junior. Third, parking on the street is a risky operation, and you are completely at the mercy of your fellow Smithies' and townies' lack of driving skills. Fourth, snow emergencies suck. It's no fun to move your car to some distant snow emergency location and then have to trek back to your house on foot in the middle of a raging blizzard. Fifth, many insurance policies will jack up your rates if you have your car more than 100 miles or so from home, and if you lie about where the car primarily resides, you could get in trouble for insurance fraud if you have an accident. Sixth, the parking garage has frighteningly high rates of vandalism and theft on the cars that are left there for long periods.
In the end, the decision is up to you, unless you're a first year. Weigh your needs carefully. You can always bring your car or take it home at a later date if you decide the path you chose wasn't right for you. And lastly, if you're from out of state, don't forget the out-of-state decal from Public Safety! It's free, and it's illegal for your car to reside in Massachusetts without one.
Back to top. Q. When can I park in a white-lined space?
A. If you don't have a green decal, you can park in a white-lined space from 5PM Friday until 7AM Monday only. If you do have a green decal, you can park in a white-lined space during these times, as well as from 5PM to 1AM Monday through Friday.
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