When commuting to and from Emporia State each day, students who live both on and off campus have an important decision to make about where they will park their vehicle.
For many incoming freshmen, purchasing a parking pass may be one of the many things on their long to-do list as they enter college life. However, students from other grades have voiced some frustration with this expense.
“I’ve never thought that you should have to pay for parking at a school that you’re paying to go to,” said Angela Cristelli, senior psychology major. “I think it’s kind of silly.”
Parking passes for the full academic year at ESU range from the highest price of $125 for presidents and other special members, to the lowest price of $50 for on and off campus students.
Passes can be purchased from Police and Safety located on Wooster Drive by Welch Stadium.
Chance Liebau, a junior communication major, lives off campus but has purchased a gray $50 parking pass for this school year, but he is not satisfied.
“I have to walk like ten to 15 minutes just to get to some of my classes from where the parking spots are,” Liebau said. “For us that live off campus, it’s not an expense that I would really like to pay.”
As some transfer students may have noticed, not all schools design their parking the same way or charge the same amounts.
“The (last) school that I went to, you all had a parking pass and you could park anywhere on campus with that one parking pass,” Liebau said. “But it was a smaller school with not as much campus space. (Charging for parking is) a way for the campus to make money so they’re obviously going to do that.”
Other universities such as Fort Hays State offer parking passes that start as low as $13 for their on campus students and $25 for students that live off campus. While ESU’s cheapest remains at $50. When parking permits at ESU are purchased for a single semester, they remain more expensive compared to the price of a full academic year at Fort Hays State.
Cristelli’s last school, North Eastern Junior College in Colorado, offered free parking to all students.
If staff and students at ESU want to avoid buying a parking pass, riding a bike or walking is not always an option due to unexpected weather, physical restraints or the location of their residence.
Cristelli lives off campus and decided against purchasing a parking pass due to her limited time on campus. However, this has left her with an overwhelming issue regarding parking meters.
“It adds up,” Cristelli said. “A couple semesters ago I got $20 in quarters and then it didn’t last me for the semester so then I was using some from all around my apartment or car.”
For those who have further questions about parking permits and other related issues, you can contact Police and Safety by phone at 620- 341-5337, or on the ESU website under student life.
In the meantime, ESU students who live off campus should consider keeping their spare change within reach and saving their quarters for a rainy day.
