Feeney’s Focus: Students shouldn’t pay to park

Last week I had a meeting scheduled for 4:50 p.m. in Oak Hall. I know it has a new name, but given my hatred of the new name, I refuse to recognize it. You’re going to have to pay me at least $355K to change my mind about the new building name. 

Anyways, my meeting was only supposed to be 10-15 minutes long and Storrs was being Storrs, so naturally there were screaming winds. These factors left me with two choices: park in Lot K (my assigned lot) and rely on the University of Connecticut’s notoriously late busing system, or park on campus, which means risking a ticket from UConn’s notoriously strict Parking Services. But Parking Services operates from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., so I liked my odds of not getting a ticket. I chose the second option, went to my meeting and I regret to inform you that I got a ticket. 

Following 20-40 seconds of screaming words I am not allowed to put into print, I started wondering why students must pay to park. I understand, and have no objection to, charging non-students to park on campus since they are visiting. I also think it is more than reasonable for UConn to set a limit of 54 credits for students before being eligible to purchase a parking pass. 

Here’s what is unreasonable: every other part of UConn’s parking policy. Lord help you if you are parked in a spot where you shouldn’t be parked. It’s common knowledge on this campus that Parking Services is notorious for handing out tickets in all sorts of manner; in 2018 they issued over $966,000 in tickets, ranging from $30 to as much as $150, and Parking Services has indicated that they only want to increase the overall cost of these fines. They’ve even toyed with the idea of installing boots on cars that are parked illegally. “We have increased enforcement presence from the start of the academic year this year compared to last year. And it’s actually the other way around, more people decided it’s just okay to not buy a permit and take their chances and get a ticket. So it’s been a strange, really unexpected thing,” said Associate Director of Logistics Andy Kelly. 

What Kelly neglects to mention here is the insane cost that UConn has decided to put on an essential means of transportation for their students. 

UConn offers seven parking areas for commuters: Lot C, Lot I, Lot K, Lot N, Lot W, Lot Y and the South Parking Garage. These prices range from $353 to nearly $1,000 for an entire year. Students who are already paying thousands of dollars to live on campus are offered parking at slightly lower rates, though it’s certainly not a cheap investment; residential student parking pricing ranges from $353 to nearly $600 for an entire year. 

Kelly leaves out another massive problem, and it is in my opinion why more students are taking their chances to park on campus without a permit: a lack of viable alternatives. Students who live off campus — nearly a third of UConn’s total population — have two options for transportation: drive to campus or take the bus. UConn is a massive campus, spanning 4,400 acres. Despite the scope of the campus, UConn has persistently stripped away sources of reliable public transportation for its students. The closest train station to the university is Hartford Union Station, which is still a 30–35 minute drive from campus. According to UConn’s own website, “We are unable to provide transportation to and from Hartford Union Station.” 

It’s not just trains; UConn recently announced that hours for HuskyGo shuttles are ending earlier, and certain bus lines will have a reduced number of shuttles. It is fascinating witnessing Parking Services’ anger at students for illegally parking on the campus they are already paying thousands of dollars to attend while also stripping away any alternative form of transportation. 

The solution to the problem is simple: we just create a robust campus with strong, frequent and reliable public transportation that would curb the overall need for students to have to drive their cars to campus. This would also decrease overall traffic on campus, and we should’ve done that about 50 years ago. 

To prospective students, UConn loves to pitch themselves as more than a university. UConn loves the slogan, “Students today. Huskies forever.” They adore the idea that no matter where you go in the world, no matter where your talents take you, you’ll always have a home at UConn. But let me ask you, would you charge your own family hundreds of dollars to park their car at home? Take away resources that could make their commute easier and continue to threaten to increase the punishment time and time again? I certainly wouldn’t. 

It almost makes it seem like UConn views their relationship with the student body as more transactional than familial, but then again what do I know? I just had to pay them $30 because I parked somewhere for a half hour.