Student parking on campus is a controversial topic between residents and commuters alike.
“Parking anywhere on campus is pretty terrible,” said Alec Riding-In, geosciences junior. “As far as the commuter spots go, I don’t necessarily mind walking, which I always have to do in order to get to my classes because the parking lot near Bolin Hall is always full. I don’t really like the fact that I paid $50 for this.”
The total number of campus parking spots is 3,224. As of last fall there are approximately 3,700 commuters and 1,319 students living on campus. If every student had a car and was on campus, the number of students would exceed the number of parking spaces by 1,795.
“This is an exciting time for MSU, but we’re also dealing with the growing pains of becoming more of a resident university,” said Keith Lamb, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. “Bigger schools have gone through it before us and have had similar obstacles. I can see us perhaps needing a parking garage somewhere down the line, although that may not solve the convenience issue.”
Despite the ratio of available parking spots to students being 1:2, a census on student parking indicates it was never at 100 percent capacity last fall. Also, officials only issued 3,127 commuter and 643 residential parking permits. Approximately 900 students attend class online only and 300 parking spots are offered by the churches on Taft Boulevard, reducing demand for student parking.
“We are very grateful for the church parking lots across the street, and have made some improvements by reallocating commuter spots to residential,” Lamb said. “Recently though, there has been an excess of spaces.”
A 1:2 student parking ratio is common for a university in our area. West Texas A&M University has 4,775 spaces to 9,489 students and Cameron University has 3,344 spaces to approximately 6,000 students. There are universities with worse ratios as well, with Tarleton State University at 6,027 spaces to 12,326 students and Texas Women’s University at 3,813 spaces to 12,372 on the campus in Denton.
Corbin Whan, engineering senior, decided not to purchase a parking permit due to his apartment complex, French Quarter, being extremely close to campus.
“Most of my classes are split between Bolin and McCullough Hall,” Whan said. “If it’s a day I need to go to Bolin, I can easily walk. McCullough is a different story though…and a much greater distance from French Quarter.”
The solution Whan is looking for may come in the form of a new parking lot between Sundance Court and West Campus Annex, which, as approved February 11, will generate 244 new student parking spots. Students will be affected by this through increased campus parking along with a $20 increase to their parking permits.
“I don’t know if the new parking lot would convince me to go ahead and buy a permit, although I would seriously consider it,” Whan said. “I do think it’s a step in the right direction though.”
The price of a parking permit has always been a sensitive topic for students, but an MSU permit costs about the same as other universities in our area. It is the same price as a permit from Texas Women’s University and nowhere near as expensive as the $250 that the University of North Texas charges.
The new lot will cost approximately $600,000 over several years and Lamb believes the $20 increase for a parking permit was necessary for it to be approved.
With the implementation of new parking spaces, students’ convenience issues have the potential to be improved upon. The new lot is planned to open summer of 2016 to coincide with the new residence hall.
Additional Info:
Price of a parking permit (yearly):
- Tarleton State University – $80 (includes summer semester)
- Cameron University – $25 (includes summer semester)
- Texas A&M Commerce – $40 (includes summer semester)
- Texas A&M University Kingsville – $100 (includes summer semester)
- Texas Women’s University – $70 (includes summer semester)
- West Texas A&M University – $0 (first permit is free, additional permits are $40)
- University of North Texas – $250 (includes summer semester)
- Midwestern State University – $50 (includes summer semester)
Sources:
http://www.tarleton.edu/parking/
http://www.cameron.edu/info/schedules/tuition
http://www.tamuc.edu/admissions/tuitioncosts/
http://www.tamuk.edu/finance/upd/upd_files/TAMUK_Parking_Regulations.pdf
http://www.twu.edu/dps/parking_rules.asp
http://www.unt.edu/transit/student_permits.html
http://www.mwsu.edu/humanresources/policy/4-general-university-policies/4.152-regulatory.asp
