Like most college campuses, BGSU is one of many institutions with student concerns regarding parking.
According to interviews, students’ concerns range from parking on campus being too expensive, too far or too inaccessible due to a lack of parking spaces.
The data provided by BGSU Parking Services said there are 6,540 parking spots dedicated to students both living on campus and commuting. However, there are a total of 16,891 undergraduate BGSU students.
Carina Hart, a senior education major, explained that it is difficult to afford a parking pass, and despite her having a car on campus, she doesn’t use it.
“Last year I did buy a pass and it was $125, which is really expensive. This year it went up and I don’t really have the funds for that, so I just walk to class.” Hart said.
“It’s about a 15 minute walk normally, which isn’t horrible, but it still sucks that it’s just so much money that I have to choose to walk instead of driving said Hart..”
The Manager of Parking and Shuttle Services, John Stewart, explained that the prices of the parking permits are set at their current price to cover the essential costs of Parking Services.
Stewart said Parking Services are not funded by the university and have to generate their own revenue to fund their work. One of the ways to fund themselves is through the parking fees that students are charged.
“In order for me to operate a department and provide services, we have to generate revenue. Software is expensive, vehicles are expensive, equipment is expensive,” Stewart said. “Just like everyone else, our costs increase annually. In order to keep up with those costs increasing, we need to generate revenue.”
Beyond finances, students also expressed concerns with lot accessibility- specifically referring to distance and spaces available.
Brianna Flores, a junior at BGSU, said parking for students who live on campus is too far and it makes it hard to leave campus.
“I have always despised parking services, especially because of the on-campus student lot. I think it is ridiculously far from all of the doors,” Flores said. “I also think there’s too many faculty lots, and faculty lots should be mixed with commuter spots.”
In some instances, parking can be extremely difficult for students to find.
Savannah Posey, a senior exercise science major, said she finds it difficult to find a parking spot. She spends a lot of time looking for one, which inevitably makes her late for class.
“Sometimes there are no parking spaces, so you just have to keep driving around before class starts, and they are usually far away by the time you find them,” Posey said. “Then you have to book it to class and sometimes you don’t make it on time.”
Regarding these issues, Stewart said changes were made this year in parking lots to help alleviate some student issues.
“In terms of what changes were made with parking lots themselves, (lot) 32 and 33, which are over by Kreischer, those were commuter lots for the last handful of years,” Posey said. “We switched those to ‘pay to park’ areas. Lot D, which is next to Centennial, was also changed to pay to park for this year. Those were the only areas where we saw that type of a change.”
He added these changes were made because of the data and people’s comments from previous years.
However, despite student concerns, some students like Arianna Jeric, a senior at BGSU, understand the necessary frustrations that come with parking on a college campus.
“I don’t like parking services because we are paying to park at a university we pay to be at and it’s kind of a money grab,” Jeric said. “However, I see how it’s needed for regulatory purposes because there wouldn’t be anywhere to park if anyone could park wherever they want.”
For more information on parking availability and parking spaces on campus, refer to the parking map in the Parking Services section of the BGSU website.
