Every Augustana student who has a car on campus has likely complained about either the price of parking passes, the safety of the parking lots or the limited lots a parking permit allows them to use. 

These parking permits are not cheap, as it will take $220 to secure a permit valid for the entirety of the school year. Parking permits valid for a single semester are also expensive, costing $120. These parking permits allow students to park in the closest available lot to their residence. The Augustana webpage notes that even though permits are assigned based on availability and student preference when applicable, students who purchase a parking permit may not even be able to park in the lot closest to their residence. 

In these instances, students are assigned the next nearest available lot, which may be inconvenient and unsafe to travel to and from every time they use their car. For example, bringing a car to campus is more trouble than it’s worth for first-years assigned to the lackluster Seminary hall. For these residents, the closest available parking lot to their building could be across the busy 38th St. in front of the WVIK radio station building. At this point, why would owning a parking permit even be useful? 

Along with no guaranteed convenient parking lot access, there are few other lots available to students who purchase a permit. Augustana College’s student parking information website lists that the standard parking permit allows the student access to their residential lot, lot G (behind Carver) and lot P (next to Carver). These additional parking lots that each permit includes are not typically used by the majority of students. Access to these lots may be advantageous for athletes and people who frequently use Carver P.E. Center and the surrounding areas, but for most students, it isn’t feasible to park on the far end of campus in lots G or P. 

A final grievance about the usefulness and steep price of parking permits is the lack of safety and security in campus parking lots. A common complaint heard about them is the lack of maintenance. I frequently heard about the Erickson potholes all of last year, and while some have recently been fixed, many still litter parking lots across campus. 

Along with the lack of maintenance, there is also seemingly a lack of security. Earlier this semester, many remember when Public Safety informed students about two cars that were stolen from campus parking lots K and R. Lot K, near Westerlin, has security cameras. However, these few cameras do little to dissuade thieves. These cameras also do little to bring justice to students who are victims of a car theft. According to Augustana’s parking on campus regulations webpage, “Parking permits do not include or imply security protection,” and Augustana, “assumes no responsibility for theft or damage to vehicles or their contents.” 

This evidence alone makes it clear that the high prices of parking permits are hardly justified. However, for students continuing to purchase parking permits each year, common sense seems to be lacking. While having a car on campus definitely has its benefits, dealing with the Quad Cities’ traffic and road conditions does not justify the price tag to park.

It seems to me that more must be done to justify the cost of parking permits. According to Augustana’s parking on campus regulations, in order to actualize any changes to current parking regulations, the parking committee headed by the Chief of Public Safety must make a recommendation. Any student can contact Public Safety or the parking committee to encourage them to recommend potential changes to regulations.