Ball State has raised parking fees by an astounding $120 peryear for a garage location and $80 for other restricted spaces for2004-05. This brings the cost for these yearly permits to $330 and$270, respectively. Plus, additional increases are scheduledthrough 2007.
But at what cost is the university raising parking fees?
There are several costs associated with this increase that maybe hard to quantify but certainly give a wider view of how parkingfees impact the university. For example:
-By adding to the financial burden of faculty and staff at thesame time that health insurance is rising and inflation continuesto nip at paychecks, the university is making it more and moreexpensive to work at Ball State. In fact, parking fees are now morethan most faculty members receive as a yearly travel allowance. Howwill all of this impact attracting and retaining quality employeesat a time when low salaries are already a concern?
- Many staff and faculty have to routinely leave and return tocampus during the daytime as they conduct business for Ball State.If they have to spend 40 minutes walking to and from their carsback to their offices from a remote yellow lot, is this a good useof the time for which the university is paying them?
-Many employees may be wondering whether they should purchase aless-expensive yellow sticker, knowing that by doing so, they willface a daily hunting expedition to locate one of these elusivespots. In addition, campus shuttles do not serve these lots. All ofthis impacts stress levels, as well as anger and frustration at theuniversity. How do you measure this cost?
- Faculty and staff members who have the "luxury" of parkingnear their workplace often find they can squeeze in a few moreminutes of work at the end of the day before they need to scrambleto pick up children or take care of other personal business. Thosefew minutes may now be lost for employees who cannot afford theincreases and are forced to park in yellow lots.
In fairness, last year the university offered a pretax payrolldeduction for parking fees that helps offset costs by about 25percent, but that benefit was quickly negated with this substantialincrease.
While it would be nice if more people were to walk or ride bikesto campus, this is not a realistic option for most employees.Parking on campus is not a privilege for faculty and staff needingaccess to their workplace -- it is a necessity. Without competitiveprivate parking lots near Ball State, parking on campus is the onlyoption.
We are realistic enough to know that the Board of Trustees willnot change its mind and reduce fees, but more effort should be madeby administrators to address the parking situation on campus andthe burden placed on its employees. Currently an employee making$30,000 per year would spend about 1 percent of his or her incomeon restricted parking. Part-time employees face an even bigger biteout of paychecks.
The addition of a new parking garage affords the university anopportunity to bring back some of the less expensive yellow lots.In addition, the university should consider holding a public forumto gauge opinions and input before implementing future hikes,similar to what is being done now with tuition hikes. In any case,we would urge the university to seek input and suggestions fromemployees and to take a realistic look at the impact parking ratesmake on the budgets and personal lives of employees.
Respectively submitted,
University Communications staff members:
Nancy Prater
Tony Barker
Ted Buck
Layne Cameron
Sandra Cameron
Gwen Kousari
Michael Hickey
Susan Holloway
Janet Johns
Ron McVey
Peter Osborne
Linda Rigel
Don Rogers
Lucinda Stipp
Julie Swan
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