Finding parking spots around campus might get more difficult for students as the year progresses.
By the end of last year, Ball State issued 13,459 parking permits for the 9,920 campus parking spaces, according to public records obtained by the Daily News.
The university has sold 9,451 permits for 2014-2015 as of printing.
Breanna Page, a junior business administration major and a commuter student living south of the campus, said it’s difficult to find parking spots, especially on the south side.
“[It’s] very difficult, actually. Most of the time, because I live on that end of campus [south], there are usually never any spots for my 9:30 [a.m.] class,” Page said. “The other side [Worthen Arena], there is usually a spot, but you have to park way in the back and go really early in the morning. It kind of sucks.”
Page said she has missed class before because she was looking for spots.
As a result, Page has gone as far as bringing a bike to college.
“On days I can’t find a spot, I just ride my bike,” Page said. “Last year, it wasn’t so bad. This year, I think more people are commuting.”
There are 1,899 spots specifically dedicated for green commuter parking spaces. The university has issued 3,041 permits for those same spots for the 2014-2015 academic year. There were 3,910 students with commuter passes by the end of the last academic year.
“Not every commuter student is on campus at the same time,” said Joan Todd, spokesperson for the university. “They all have different class schedules and that sort of thing, even the ones who have purchased permits.”
Todd said this isn’t a large issue because green pass commuters have more than 3,600 total parking spaces on campus from which to choose.
There are 1,754 spaces at Scheumann Stadium and overflow that help make up the 3,600 total. Commuters also aren’t limited to just purchasing green commuter passes, Todd said.
“If space is available, commuters also may buy parking in the garages and, in some cases, surface lots as well,” she said.
There are 184 spots at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center parking garage, and 96 are still available.
Jordan Thurman, a sophomore telecommunications and journalism major, said he usually doesn’t struggle to find parking.
“My schedule plays a role in it too. I have evening classes, so my day starts at one,” Thurman said. “If I need to stay on campus after that, my car is already here and I have a space. All the lots are usually open.”
It’s all about convenience, because he lives north of campus, he said.
“The parking lot by [the] arena is actually really big and there are always open spots. I don’t usually go to that side of campus [south], if I do I usually have a roommate drop me off,” he said.
Michael Burayidi, chairperson for the department of urban planning, said he could understand the university’s decision in the number of permits it issues in relation to the number of spaces on campus.
“The rationale might be because not everyone is going to be here at the same time,” Burayidi said. “Say you have 100 spaces, you would then issue about 120 permits, with the hope that not all 120 [will] be here at the same time.”
He said a parking services office should aim to issue a number of permits that add up to no more than 120 percent of the available spaces. Also, if the university hasn’t conducted a study to see the peaks in fullness of the lots, they should.
Todd said they have taken this into account.
“It’s important to note that the university has maximized parking spaces within the limitations of the campus boundaries,” Todd said. “Part of this maximization is providing multiple levels of parking in garages, which allows more cars to park in the same area than if it were just surface parking.”
