Renovations on WSSU Campus Created a Parking Nightmare

Winston-Salem, N.C. — Renovation of the K.R. Williams Auditorium and the Hauser Building at Winston Salem State University (WSSU) has created a parking nightmare for students. While the university views these renovations as improvements, they are placing a financial burden on students and disrupting their education. 

Since March 31, 2025, WSSU has shut down part of Cromartie Street to renovate the buildings. The project aims to “modernize these facilities, enhancing campus spaces for performance, learning, and community engagement (“KRW + hauser”).” In doing so, the university closed Parking Lots F and H, which were designated for faculty and staff. 

Parking on campus has always been a problem, but since the closure of Lots F and H, it has become worse. Faculty and staff quickly fill their spots. Once those are full, they park in spaces that used to be for students. 

Deavion Davis, a junior at WSSU, stated, “The parking situation has always been bad, even my entire time at WSSU and they seem to always be ignoring our concerns whenever we (students) say anything about it, they say they fix it but never actually fix it.” Ticketing has also been a growing issue and has put more financial stress on students. Charity Maxwell, a senior at WSSU, stated, “I was instructed to pay $20 for a parking ticket which can be a lot when you aren’t working.”