Circling around and around trying to look for any space available to park on the street or on the campus and with only five minutes left before class starts; this is what many students go through on a daily basis.

The city of Torrance recently passed a measure that allows only the residents of North Torrance to park in the North Torrance area located near campus. Residents are given a permit by the city and during times when residents plan to have guests over, they can apply for additional permits from the city.

This measure will add to the frustration of finding parking for students. The student body amounts to more than 24,000 and there are only about 4,500 parking spaces available on campus.

In past years, enrollment has increased, causing the parking problem to be greater then ever before. So many students turn to parking in the residential areas nearby the campus to avoid being late to class, paying for a parking permit or from having to circle the campus for sometimes close to a half an hour to an hour looking for a parking spot.

However, it has also become a daily nuisance to many residents. They often find their trashcans pushed aside to make room for a car. The trash cans are later missed by a garbage truck or their trash gets scattered on the floor. Some residents even have to park blocks away from their homes because there is no parking available to them in front of their homes.

Everyone can sympathize with the frustration residents have because of how it affects their daily routine, but students also feel the frustration. Students pay the campus for permits in hopes of having a place to park when they come to school. But for students who do not buy a permit because they do not want to pay, do not deserve a place to park.

The frustration students feel may lessen in 2006, when the a new parking structure located on campus will be finished, adding an additional few hundred spaces. It is wrong that residents have to find their trash scattered and no place to park, but in one year, the problem will be reduced. There are two sides to every argument and it is not fair that one side found its solution and the other did not.

The Union welcomes letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed and must be received one week prior to publication in the Union office, Communications Room 109. Letters are subject to editing for space, libel, obscenity and disruption of the educational process.