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.