For the first time in five years, Ball State University's Parking Services has increased the cost of meters, fines and permits.
Parking Services Office Manager Nancy Wray said fines charged for various parking violations on campus have increased $5.
"The cost of doing business has increased," she said. "In order to compensate the business increase, we had to make some increases."
The meter prices, which increased in July, are $1 for 45 minutes, 75 cents for 36 minutes, 50 cents for 24 minutes and 25 cents for 12 minutes. Before the increase, it was 50 cents for 45 minutes, 25 cents for 22 1/2 minutes, 10 cents for nine minutes and 5 cents for 4 1/2 minutes.
"The reason the meters are only 45 minutes is because those are located in places where we want to have turnover," she said. "If we extend it any longer, students will park there and go to class, but its intention is to run in and run out."
Although most students do not know about the increased changes, more are finding out about them.
"I parked at a meter the other day and noticed that I had to pay $1.00 for 45 minutes," sophomore dance major Rachel Higgins said. "I thought that paying that much at a meter was ridiculous."
Others felt differently about the university's decision to make changes.
"Parking is so crucial at Ball State," Charlotte Bell, the north region for the virtual special education cooperative coordinator at the Teachers College, said. "Everyone needs parking so if this is how the university can try to keep some costs of business low then it's good."
Other changes included extending the John R. Emens Auditorium parking garage hours.
Enforcement hours for the red section of the Emens parking garage would affect students who park there during the week. A permit will be required between the hours of 3:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"We've extended the parking garage hours to match the library's extended hours," Wray said. "There was some feedback from people who wanted to see increased hours and increased enforcement there."
The changes at the Emens parking garage will not affect any other parking garages on campus, she said.
The campus parking garage prices are $1 for the first three hours of parking, 50 cents an hour for the next three hours, and 25 cents an hour up to a maximum of $5 a day.
The changes were administrative decisions that were handed down to Parking Services, Wray said. The difference in prices at the meters and in the garages is because each serves a different purpose.
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