By Chelsey Schweitzer

Staff Writer

CSUSM parking permit fees nearly cost more than the SDSU and UCLA campuses combined.

Most students will agree that paying $338 a semester for general parking is excessive. This high cost leads many students to try other methods, like going out of their way to take the bus, walking, biking, taking the sprinter and carpooling. Even carpooling costs students a large sum of money when considering the financial struggle of also affording tuition and textbooks. Not to mention, there are those that live too far to even have a chance to consider alternatives. Most students will agree that the parking prices are hard on their budget, but not many students know who decides these prices or what the money goes toward.

CSUSM prices are extremely high in comparison to other universities. Two relatively local examples are San Diego State University and University of California, Los Angeles. SDSU has a fee of $135 dollars per semester and UCLA charges $213.

If they were to inquire at the police station, students will find out that the initial price for parking was created prior to the 2000 school year. The price was set once a three-tier increase in cost was implemented by those high up in the university, resulting in a sum of $293. Current campus pricing is justified based on the fact that the school is self-paid. The university does not get any government funding and students are therefore forced to pay for themselves. As of now, however, students do not have to worry about price increases. The last price implication was the last in the tier, meaning that hopefully we won’t have another increase for quite some time.

While fees go towards the upkeep of the parking lots, many students have difficulty paying the current amount. Although parking permits will always remain a strain on student’s wallets, they can at least find comfort in knowing that the money is helping maintain a beautiful and safe campus.