By Wyatt Fullmer
If you work or attend college at Fort Hays State University you have heard it a thousand times, there simply isn’t enough parking available for the students and faculty. This problem has existed since before I began attending FHSU nearly 4 years ago. So why doesn’t the university do something to address the parking problem? Some students think, myself included, that the problem exists as a way for the university to generate money, which it surely does. The university hands out parking tickets like they are going out of style and at $45 a pop there is some serious money being made. Sure it is cheaper for a student to buy a parking permit, they usually run about $25, but what good is a permit when you can’t even find a spot without STAFF emblazoned across it. Many people find it hard to justify buying a parking pass without the existence of adequate parking spaces. The simple fact of the matter is that the university sells more student parking permits than their parking facilities can accommodate. The other issue many students have with the university’s parking or lack thereof is that if you receive a ticket while not enrolled in courses at FHSU, for example if a visitor parks in a restricted stall, they waive the ticket. I know this to be true because I have experienced it first-hand while I wasn’t taking classes at FHSU. In other words, the university is only collecting money for these parking tickets from students and faculty members.
There are many relatively simple solutions that would help to correct the seemingly ever present problem that exists with parking here at FHSU. My first suggestion would be to run a shuttle service around campus so that fewer people would have to drive in the first place. In addition, the shuttle could transport people from Cunningham Hall to the main campus. This would allow the excess parking around Cunningham to be utilized in a more efficient fashion. The second potential solution would be to add more parking spaces possibly even a parking garage.
So, let us recap the university is very aware of the parking issue on campus, however, nothing has been done to rectify or mitigate the issue. Instead, the university sells more parking permits than there are spaces available and issues tickets and fines only to those who are subjected to the system that they have put in place and continue to neglect. Now if that isn’t a form of oppression I’m no longer sure what constitutes it.
This has obviously been stated several times in the comment section…. But given the lack of research done for the article I feel the need to bring it up again. 1. Shuttle Service is already in the works. 2. Parking garages are not a feasible option. Student Fees would go through the roof and it would be built in the Cunningham Lot… Where people already don’t park. Just a simple attendance of an SGA meeting OR reading of the minutes would give you enough information so that this article would not need to be written.
I live a hour and a half off campus, driving back & forth to school on Tuesday and Thursdays. I haven’t had a problem with parking at all in 2009,2010 and Fall of 2015. I was talking to the departments that deals with all the improvements on campus after they spoke with the SGA , Thursday December 3. I asked about a Parking Garage and they said a standard parking now costs $38 per stall. In a Garage parking, it would cost over $3,000 per stall. The parking permits would have to be raised to over $100 a semester to help pay off this parking. Must college students are cheap and even complain about the $25 parking permit currently.
Yes, it is a problem, but we can also take steps to cope with it rather than just whining. For instance, I get to campus pretty early in the morning, and parking is never a problem for me.
I agree that more people will walk better.
The shuttle idea is good too. And it was not mentioned that a huge new parking lot is being constructed behind the president’s house.
The ‘solutions’ that you have proposed are either already being done or are not feasible. There will be a shuttle service starting soon, due to the new construction starting on campus. Cunningham has more than enough parking available and it is not too much for students to walk to short distance to classes. Do I want to do that? No. would I rather park closer? Of course. But with all that parking, it is definitely not a ‘parking problem.’ This article was not very educated on this topic and our campus and I would encourage anyone who has concerns to speak to Campus Police or even the Student Government Association about campus parking.
Oppression….that you can’t park close enough? I went to FHSU for ten years and never had a problem. Hays is not that big, just walk or ride a bike. Problem solved.
Article author should possibly do more research before this open opinion is placed for everyone to see.
There is a shuttle service planned, it begins next semester.