By Jared Fields, Managing Editor

Residents of Edwards and Mabee residence halls can now park a little closer to their rooms after renovation of the parking lot between the two dorms.

The pothole-filled parking lot received a much-needed asphalt face-lift after students faced an obstacle course trying to avoid holes while finding a spot to park.

Kevin Watson, associate vice president for Administrative Services, said workers began pouring asphalt Tuesday. Thursday evening the parking lot was opened to students and new lines were painted.

The opening of the parking lot was a welcome sight to freshmen in Mabee Hall.

“I’ve been here before and it was all jacked up,” said Adrian Dennington, freshman biology major from Austin. “I had to park in Barret this week, but now I can park 20 feet from the door.”

With the parking lot closed for much of Welcome Week, many freshmen received tickets for illegally parking in the faculty parking lot by Brown Library. The first weekend of Welcome Week had new students and parents packed into a small amount of space for the number of people trying to get moved into the residence hall.

“I’ve been parking in Barret and getting tickets over here (in the Brown Library parking lot),” said Phillip Jennings, freshman undeclared major from Austin. “I guess I’ll park at Barret if it’s full or just leave my car in the new place so no one takes my spot.”

Only freshmen occupied the lot for the first two days, but the arrival of sophomores in Edwards Hall will force some into other parking lots, like the one by Barret Hall.

When sophomores help fill the parking lot, the Big Purple parking lot located by the old intramural fields will be their second-choice.