Proposal Could Peak Parking Prices
There are two proposals in front of the Parking Services
Committee which could raise next year’s cost of parking passes as
much as $70.
One proposal raises these prices $20 for all students, faculty
and staff. The second raises the price an extra $10 for faculty,
staff and commuter students and $50 for students living in the
residence halls.
“We don’t really know how much (prices will increase),” said
Michael Rose, director of Parking Services. “It’s just a proposal
and will go to the administration and then to the board of
governors for approval.”
Because Parking Services receives no state funding or tuition
dollars, all money from the sale of parking passes goes right back
into Parking Services, Rose said.
Parking Services builds and maintains all the lots on
campus.
“Anything that has to happen to a parking lot we have to do,”
Rose said.
The proposals for price increases are due to extra construction
Parking Services didn’t anticipate.
There are four construction areas Rose said, two on residence
hall circles Aylesworth and Ingersoll and two larger efforts, one
on the gravel commuter lot north of the Painter Center on Pitkin
Street and the construction of a new lot by the athletic track on
College Avenue.
The greater price increase for students living in the residence
halls is due to the fact they are used 24 hours a day, unlike the
commuter lots.
“We would enforce the lots later (than 4 p.m.),” Rose said.
“It’s not like we would ask them for more money and not give them
any more. What we would possibly do, more than likely, is change
the enforcement hours.”
Rose said students living in the residence halls may return home
after the enforcement for their lot ends at 4 and may not be able
to find a parking space.
“There’s a real problem right now, especially in the Westfall
lot, areas like that, when there are athletic events,” Rose said.
People going to Moby to watch the game may park in a Westfall lot
since enforcement ends at 4 p.m.
“We would enforce their lots later and longer and try to
guarantee them more parking,” Rose said. “We would have to pay
people to enforce those lots. At most universities, residence hall
students pay more. That’s not unusual.”
Even though such rates may be common, not everyone see the
proposals as fair.
“I oppose any proposal that doesn’t equally distribute a rate
increase,” said Jason Huitt, an undergraduate student
representative on the Parking Services Committee. “Unless we get
some kind of hard data about why they need more money from a
certain population.”
The proposals do not contain any specific information on how the
residence hall increase would be used, Huitt said.
“I’m all for extended enforcement (of residence hall lots),”
Huitt said. “If they say the money from the extra $50 for each
residence hall permit is going to go to enforcement, I’d like to
see some figures as to why it costs $50 per 5,000 students. It
sounds too high.”
Still, the price hike may not prevent students from buying a
pass.
“Just when there are basketball games over at Moby, that’s the
time I really struggle,” said Jason Max, a freshman business
student and resident of Westfall Hall. “I probably would have still
bought a pass (if it was $50 more).”
Max said he wasn’t sure if as many people would bring their car
to the university.
Huitt emphasizes, however, that everything is still up in the
air.
“If we’re going to do something as a campus to help alleviate
our parking problems, we’re going to have to accept that some of
our rates are going to have to go up,” he said.
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