Peeved about parking passes

Up until recently, $60 was not considered an outrageous price to pay for the freedom provided by having a vehicle on campus. Yet, there have been complaints concerning study abroad students and professors paying the full parking fees. Are students, teachers and staff being taken advantage of, or are we better off than we think? Recent concerns have surfaced surrounding the need for students going abroad for a semester to pay full price for a parking pass. To them, as well as to some others, it seems rather ridiculous that a student should have to pay the full price when he or she will only be here for half of the year. Shouldn’t a student going abroad be charged $30, half the full year price? According to Mary Demasi in the Parking Office, students who are studying abroad in the spring will have to pay the full price. “There is no way of knowing how long a student will keep his or her car on campus. We can’t give out refunds. There would be too much paperwork.” For those students returning to Fairfield in the spring, they will only pay $30. Every month that the cars are not on campus, there is a five dollar deduction from the $60 price.” “I think $60 is a reasonable price for parking, but students going abroad for a semester should definitely only have to pay half,” said Caitlin Sullivan, ’05. Another question concerning parking permits revolves around faculty and staff. All employees must pay the same price as the students per year to park on campus. According to Demasi, the money goes into a general fund. “The $60 goes towards sand, snow removal and road repairs.” Some feel the policy of paying to park where you work is a foolish one; others do not share the same sympathy. “Their cars take up just as much space as everybody else’s, and they get better spots,” said Stefanie Di Terlizzi, ’05. “I come from a place where you have to pay to park where you live; $60 a year doesn’t seem so bad to me.” Things could be worse; students at other Jesuit schools in the region are paying even more than we are. Villanova students have it slightly worse, paying $75 for a permit. Holy Cross students pay more than double, shelling out $150 per year. And students at Boston College pay an amazing $250 per semester, with restrictions on where and when they can park! In addition to the higher prices, these schools do not offer the option to have a car on campus as a sophomore. Fairfield University is not the only school where faculty and staff must pay for parking, either. In fact, it seems more uncommon for employees to park for free than to buy a permit at prices exceeding $60. It still may not seem fair that students must pay for parking in full when they are not here the full year, but then again, it could be worse.