Racing to the parking lot through the mob of pedestrians, with a rapid heart beat anticipating the parking spot that has your name on it. There’s only 15 minutes until class and your quest is similar to the search for the Holy Grail. The glorious open parking spot! A beacon of light shines upon this grail as you speed forward, hands gripping the steering wheel ready for victory. Alas, you arrive to a magnificent spot seconds too slow and someone else slams their vehicle into the spot. You’ve lost this parking battle and now your knuckles are turning white as you grip the steering wheel even harder, eyes darting from left to right searching, always searching for an empty parking spot.
I am a Commuter that attends IUP. I am that roadraged driver urging the car in front of her to go—GO FASTER! GET OUT OF MY WAY! After finally arriving on campus, as a Commuter, you race around parking lots scanning for the start of an engine, the twinkle of back-up lights as a vehicle exits a parking spot with the ultimate goal in mind, the holy grail – an empty parking spot! As a Commuter this is always the daily quest, the mission, the goal.
Why is there not adequate parking on IUP’s campus? Could it be that there are too many Commuters? Certainly not! Could it be that many IUP students decieve the parking system to achieve a Commuter’s pass? Perhaps? Could it be there are more Commuter passes given out than free Commuter spots? Exactly!
IUP offers 216 Commuter ONLY spaces. According to IUP’s Parking Services, there is no set number of Commuter passes distributed throughout the year. The only restrictive allotment is to those residing in Indiana Boro, Westgate, Copper Beach, and The Grove Apartments. The only exception to this rule is if you are an IUP Graduate student. Does this housing constratint mean students use their parent’s home address to achieve a Commuter parking pass while residing in one of the housing developments? “Students deceive the system about their home address, all the time.”, states one informed survey particpant. This deceit is increasing the Commuter population: reducing the Commuter parking availability!
There are 1,392 parking spaces that are Pay-Per-Space. Bare in mind that these spaces are open to not only Commuters but also: Faculty, Staff, or anyone on a first-come-first-served basis. Parking at the Pay-Per-Space is $.25 for 30 minutes. If you are like one of the unlucky few who have to pay-to-park, this costs you roughly, $3.25 per day. This costly fee is an additional monetary forfeit paid on top of the $9,080 for tuition and fees, hundreds of dollars on text books, and an undetermined amout on food. This fee isn’t communicated as you enroll as a Commuter at IUP.
In an informed survey, one fellow Commuter remarked, “I’m late for class every day because I have to fight to find parking.” The parking at IUP is a contest. Who will get to the space first? A duel between two cars in the pursuit of a parking spot. There are no rules. Whoever pulls in first is the victorious parking spot owner for the day. The loser continues on the hunt: all the while time is nagging for you to get to class!
A Commuter parking lot is exactly what this minority of IUP students needs. A parking lot with ample parking, with ample FREE parking. It is a daily struggle for Commuters to worry about where they will be parking. The parking space is their “home” while on campus. When one Commuter was asked where they go in between classes she remarked, “I go to my car. I eat there, nap there, and study there. My parking space is the only place that is “mine” while I spend my days on campus. I don’t have an apartment or a dorm to go to. I pack books, clothes, and snacks in my car. I go to my car.” Free Commuter parking spaces are an essential tool to the Commuter’s daily survival.
Something must be done about the lack of Commuter parking at IUP. A parking lot solely for Commuters is needed. Better yet, a FREE parking lot for Commuters is needed. IUP Commuters must stand together for their right to a parking spot, a FREE parking spot. Commuters need a parking space, a FREE parking space to survive daily college life. Sparring for FREE Commuter parking must end!