SCAD Atlanta allows first-year students to bring cars from home to school, however the parking lot of the biggest dormitory, Spring House, is rarely full. Even though there is not enough parking for its 300-student occupancy, you’d be hard-pressed to see the lot at capacity. What gives?
Having a car on campus may seem like a necessity, but first-year illustration student Will Goggins hasn’t prioritized getting one. He relies on his skateboard. “I always plan on buying one, and I’ll get the cash [for it], but before you know it, the money’s gone,” Goggins said.
Nichole Mele, second-year fashion marketing and management student, sacrificed ownership of the family car in order for her younger sister to have it for senior year of high school. Though glad she did, Mele would prefer to have a car. “I definitely miss driving myself places, and I’m trying to get a car for next year,” Mele said.
If students are without a car and living in the dorms, there are still options. In fact, some might say students without cars have an advantage. Instead of being stuck in traffic on Ponce de Leon Avenue, students can easily access public transportation, such as MARTA, which makes stops throughout Atlanta, from the airport to Buckhead, up to the Perimeter Mall and places in between. Students living at Spring House or ACA House can also catch rides on the SCAD shuttle, which makes stops at 1600 Peachtree, the DMC, Ivy Hall and on the weekends, Atlantic Station and Piedmont Park.
Some students simply walk or ride skateboards and bikes to various retail outlets. Tom Taylor, fourth-year film and television student, hasn’t had a car since high school, causing him to grow accustomed to alternate means of transportation. “Most of the stuff I need is in a six, seven-mile radius, so I can walk. Everything is pretty centrally located,” Taylor said. The decision to sell his car for a bike was also an attempt to go green. “You don’t need to waste gas and car exhaust just to walk a few blocks,” Taylor said.
The most frequented shops in the area are the Kroger adjacent from the main building on 1600 Peachtree Street and the Shell gas station on Spring Street, both of which are within walking distance. Though the Shell is not the nearest gas station, it is open 24 hours and students say it has an exceptionally pleasant staff.
Not having a car at a school in the center of a major city provides students the opportunity to get outside and get their walk on. They familiarize themselves with the metropolis and squeeze in a little exercise at the same time. Car-less students are also free of car worry — no dreaded calls to parents, begging for money to pay for a broken tail light or a flat tire. No scheming to find ways to fill up the gas tank. No tickets for parking illegally near Ivy Hall.
SCAD Atlanta is still a commuter school, as any glance in the main building parking lot will indicate. But students without cars get the opportunity to explore the city more intimately when on foot, while simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint.
