Dear Editor,
It is no secret that the majority of UNF students hate Parking Services.

Thousands of “undeserved” tickets are handed out every year, and most students mumble a pretty four-letter word while they head to the Cashier’s Office to pay the $30 fine.

While I understand the necessity to regulate parking in order to produce revenue for the school, I wonder if our administration thinks about the safety factor while designing the parking regulations.

Because I live on campus, I am required to either buy a housing permit for $205, which allows me to park in Lot 18, 53, 10, 11 and 12, or I can buy a discounted permit for Lots 18 and 53.

Due to the economic crisis America is in, many students cannot afford to shell out $205 for an over-crowded parking lot and are forced to park in Lot 18 or 53 with the “promise” of the shuttle system.

But in reality, the shuttle system is very unreliable. There are many cases where the shuttles will see students running for the opportunity to ride and the driver will nonchalantly leave with the student panting and cursing as the shuttle drives off.

Yes, most of theses instances happen during the day, so many times there will simply be another shuttle in 5-10 minutes. But as the day turns into night, many students are still being left to wait for another shuttle, and the wait time increases along with the crime rate.

So what is the logical thing for students to do? Park in Lot 53 and wait the 30 minutes in the cold for a shuttle to arrive, hoping the driver will see them and the suspicious person will stay away? Heaven forbid they park in a housing parking lot. That would just result in a $30 ticket, which they can’t afford.

Something must be done either about the price of parking tickets and permits or the shuttle system. The economy is getting worse, more students are reporting crime alerts and unnecessary debt is slowly
accumulating.

Earlier in the year, part of the defense of the parking system was comparing our rates with that of Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida. But these comparisons are unrealistic because UNF does not have the same number of students at any of those universities.

According to the College Board, UCF has more than 40,000 students, FSU has 32,000, UF has 45,000 and UNF has about 16,000.

Comparing UNF to the University of West Florida, which has about 9,000 students, would be more sensible.

UWF parking permits are $30 for commuters/residents while violation tickets are $10.

Maybe UNF should take a realistic look at the way it stacks up with universities and adjust its policy before someone gets seriously hurt.

Chelsea Edwards,
Sophomore, Nursing Major