By Melissa Martinez
News Editor
Deciding to spend their money on books or a parking pass can be a tough decision for most students and their financial academic planning.
With the strict regulations enforced this semester in parking lots on and around campus, students are beginning to consider whether investing in a parking pass for the semester will be cheaper than paying hundreds of dollars in tickets and towing fees.
Previously, students resulted to parking in the lots of Palomar Pomerado Health center to avoid paying for passes, however PPH began enforcing their parking regulations this semester and towing unauthorized vehicles, pushing the students back to parking lots on campus.
“I realized that I’d rather park off-campus and walk an extra ten minutes than pay the ridiculous parking pass fee. As a student, I can’t afford extra expenses on top of increasing tuition” said senior, Brandon Torres.
However, since the beginning of a new semester also means new books, new printer ink, warmer clothes and of course, summer classes to save up for, buying a parking permit is usually not a priority. Though many can agree that a $9 parking permit for the day is much cheaper than a $50 ticket.
However, permit prices regularly are $338 for general parking or if you’re only on campus a few times a week. The $9 a day price might warm some wallets.
With some students receiving the $249 Prop 30 refund, some might find it easier to invest in a campus parking pass next spring.
MaryAnn • Nov 10, 2013 at 7:59 am
Yes, $9 is agreeable, for a day maybe. But, not when you have to go to class more than one day a week.
If I were to always pay for parking, assuming I went 4 days a week and stayed all day, I would spend $36 a week. Now, that’s going to be around $576 dollars for the semester. That’s $200 dollars more than the semester pass.
You could be saying that I could purchase a $643 year long pass too. HOWEVER, they “run out” of those passes very quickly. And buying two semester passes is about $20 more expensive than the year long pass.
So, here’s a situation for you: say I was a first time freshman. No job, have a car, and I’m living in the dorms It just so happens that I receive full financial aid, and I do receive an e-refund. After I budget for rent though, I only have about $1,000 left over.
I would use the left over funds for books, and after I get those, I would only have about &500. This $500 is what I had to use for grocery shopping. For 16 weeks.
Now tell me this: How am I supposed to eat, when I have to buy a parking pass? If I bought one of those, it would leave me with about $200 for 16 weeks. Seeing as I have no job yet, and I’m a full time student, and my parents are too poor to really help me out?
This isn’t a hypothetical situation that I just gave you. It was mine, 3 years ago. And I am sure it is the dilemma of many other students.
Sure, you could probably find a part time job somewhere. But then, if you have to go to class the majority of the week, how many hours would you get to work? It wouldn’t be enough to pay for the gas to get there an back.
Or get a job on campus! But then, you have to keep a 2.0 G.P.A, which isn’t all that hard, but living in a packed dorm room has a way of making study time hard to come by.
The reason I’m posting a comment is because I received a parking ticket last month. I do work part time, I am a full time student, and yes, I do live on my own.
This ticket is a whopping $350!! You would think I almost killed someone! No, all I did was use a pass that, in their words was “counterfeit, AM changed to PM”.
Did I change it? Yes. I was going to my professor’s office hours to turn in an assignment, and I didn’t was to waste $4 buying a pass for something that would only take 10 minutes.
I realize now that yes, I could have used the meters. I should have used the meters.
But seriously, this was my first offense. And I’m being charged with the cost of a 1 unit class here at CSUSM.
No I shouldn’t have done it. But I also think that this is a mole hill, and they’ve made a mountain out of it.