It is an ongoing debate whether sophomores should have on campus parking at Jesuit.

For Cathe Kent, the head of campus safety, there’s only so much room.

“If we could make it work we would,” she said. “But we just don’t have the space.”

The parking rules at Jesuit are established by seniority. Using a first come first serve process, 261 seniors can claim spots in the main Cronin lot. Upon request, the rest of the class can take spots in the lot in front of the tennis courts or the allocated Jesuit parking spots in the Valley Plaza lot.

After the needs of the seniors are met, juniors are given the opportunity to claim a spot in either the valley or tennis court lots.

Some wonder if sophomores get the opportunity to claim a spot as well after the juniors have claimed theirs? The answer is no.

“It’s frustrating knowing that I cannot get a spot this year,” sophomore Julia Hudnut.

While the parking lots are not full at the beginning of the school year, as the year progresses more juniors get their licenses and apply for parking. Mrs. Kent said they intentionally keep spots open in the valley lot for juniors to utilize later in the year.

As of October 2025, there is still one row of spots available in the back of the Valley Plaza lot.

While there isn’t parking on campus, sophomores can purchase parking passes in the nearby Plex sports complex lot across the street from Cronin, not run by Jesuit High School. Mrs. Kent worries about the inequity of families purchasing the $975 parking spaces to open up parking opportunities at Jesuit later in the year. She would rather save those spaces for juniors.

Sophomore Abi Pachla said she would appreciate a spot on campus because she does not like having to walk from the nearby side streets.

If Pachla is hoping for a solution, nothing is planned. Even in the case of a sophomore experiencing extreme circumstances such as living far away, they will not be granted parking.

There are too many special circumstances to accommodate and the policy must stay consistent.