This year, the application to purchase parking permits opened on July 11 with a new tiered structure, but the spots sold out almost immediately. The waiting list for a parking spot on campus is over 100 people long.
“I always set a calendar notification when parking spots go on sale because of how fast they go,” Corrine Conway, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said. Conway said she was thankful she did not have to be on the waiting list this year. However she did not get her first choice in parking.
New this year, parking permits are first distributed to commuting students, then to seniors, juniors, sophomores and eventually to freshmen.
Kalie Littlefield, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, said by the time she went to register, spots were completely sold out.
“I had to bring a car or I couldn’t get home, so it was a rather big dilemma and (the university) didn’t seem to want to help,” she said.
The 24-hour and daytime commuter permits for both semesters sold out shortly after they went on sale. Additionally, students noticed a price increase.
“I was surprised when I checked for a permit at how much they went up this semester. If parking on campus were cheaper, I’d consider it easier,” Conway said.
Conway said parking prices are too high considering the hike in tuition.
Currently, to park on campus 24 hours for one semester is $378. That amount is doubled for parking on campus the entire school year. According to Marquette’s parking services webpage, prices for commuter students vary depending on the lot.
Lora Strigens, Marquette’s vice president for planning and facilities management, said the university is mindful of the role parking plays in developing a welcoming campus community.
“We continue to plan strategic short and long term parking solutions that will meet the needs of our students, faculty, staff and visitors,” she said.
Strigens said the university continues to examine capacity and distribution of parking through its planning efforts. She also said that the current waiting list is generally consistent with what has been experienced in previous semesters.
Chris Allen, a junior in the College of Business Administration, said he noticed a big change in availability in parking, especially since Marquette took away Schroeder’s parking lot summer of 2018 and enrollment of students have consistently increased every year.
“To make parking easier on campus for students, Marquette could work with the city to allow more students to park for free on the streets and the surrounding campus,” Allen said.
Strigens said the university convened a group of stakeholders in spring 2018, including students, faculty and staff to analyze and evaluate options to alleviate the current parking resource constraint on campus.
“Some recommendations have already been implemented, while others are part of long-range planning,” Strigens said.
Allen said Marquette should also look into building more parking lots in neighborhoods close and not just in the center of campus.
“This will allow for them to get cheaper price on the buy and allow for students who live in their own apartment to park somewhere potentially closer to them,” Allen said.
