College students might be frugal when it comes to bills and groceries, but most don’t mind dropping hundreds on a paper tag that dangles from their rearview mirrors.
When parking permits hit the market in spring, there’s a wait list within weeks, said Martin Paulins, director of Ohio University Parking Services. Thousands of OU students don’t think twice about spending up to $400 to claim an 8-by-20-foot slab of concrete.
But only about 15 percent of OU’s on-campus parking spots are available for students to rent.
“I think they should open up some more spots for long-term parking,” said Evan Gibbs, a fifth-year exercise physiology student. “Even for short-term parking, I think it’s ridiculous that you have to wait until after a certain time. It just becomes a hassle.”
Each year, Parking Services sells 680 overnight parking permits for either $82.50 per semester or $165 per year. Approximately 800 more are sold for residential garages, costing $360 per year.
Recently, freshmen have been able to join upperclassmen in the race to find a spot, though their elders still get first dibs.
“The mindset used to be that freshmen didn’t need their cars,” Paulins said. “But there are cases now that they would need a vehicle, such as the National Guard.” Even though Katlyn Patton, an OU sophomore studying global studies, doesn’t have a driver’s license, she said it’s been a struggle for her and her roommates to tolerate dorm life without a vehicle on campus.
“CVS and the markets are really expensive for food, but we can’t get to Kroger,” she said. “I think there might be a bus that goes to State Street, but I don’t know if people know about it.”
Compared to other universities in the state, parking passes at OU could be considered a bargain or overpriced.
Kent State University, having almost the same student population as OU, offers parking passes in 11 lots. Each pass costs $105 per semester or $200 for the entire year, and only one lot is available to freshmen.
The University of Cincinnati, which boasts 24,638 undergraduate students, offers parking in more than 18 lots for $193 to $468 per semester.
Even searching for an off-campus spot might set students back $200 to $400. Kelly Kasler, a senior studying psychology at OU, said finding parking anywhere in Athens might be too much of a financial commitment.
“People are paying enough for tuition, so I don’t think $300 or more is something most (students) have on top of everything else,” she said.
In most cases, Athens’ apartment and house dwellers are lucky to receive parking spaces for even a fraction of their housemates.
“We’re supposed to park in a certain lot about two blocks away, but we park in the backyard instead because it seems like every time someone parks their car down there, it gets hit,” Kasler said. “It’s an unreliable spot.”
Cornwell Rentals, which manages two lots and a number of apartments, provides parking for each tenant of Palmer Place and half the residents of Courtside Apartments. Eric Coon, an employee of Cornwell Rentals, said 30 to 40 percent of lessees park in the Carpenter Street lot for $125 per quarter.
“I wouldn’t say they have priority, but we tell them they have a chance to park on Carpenter,” Coon said. “I think we’re probably the ones who provide the most parking for our tenants.”
With more apartments moving into the Uptown area each year, and the upcoming rearranging of South Green, parking in Athens will undergo ample change. Some, however, say there’s no need for driving in Athens anyway.
“You definitely have a right as a student to have a car here, but I don’t think most people need them,” said Michael Stecz, a junior studying political science. “It’s a small town, and people should probably walk more.”
oy311909@ohiou.edu
