Parking Privilege or Student Burden? Inside Westfield State’s Paid Parking Policy

Photo taken by Sydney Wietecha

It was my first day of senior year. Everyone knows the excitement and nervousness surrounding the first week of school. Gathering all the supplies, ordering textbooks, finding the building of your classes. I wore my favorite outfit, put my hair back in my favorite style, bought a brand-new notebook and pen for the semester. I had a busy day ahead of me, Journalism 1, Persuasive Communication, and Basic Film Writing. I parked my car in the commuter lot and set upon my last first day. All my classes went amazing, lots of new introductions, familiar faces, and excitement for this semester to begin. As I strolled back to my car, I saw it. The white rectangle nuzzled in the crack of my windshield. Within the first week of classes, or even in general, should students and faculty/staff receive a ticket for parking in the lot? More importantly, should students have to pay to park on campus?

Money has always notoriously been a hardship for many college students, and as the ticket stared judgmentally at me, I became determined to learn more about the benefits and disadvantages of having students pay to park on campus. Personally, monetized parking on campuses is only another expense that students face when seeking higher education. Students contribute enough personal finances to be able to attend college. On top of textbooks, tuition, and supplies, the parking pass is just another aspect on the money checklist. 

Every year, attending students of Westfield State must visit the Westfield parking portal to purchase their parking pass. Students are able to purchase a parking pass for the semester or for the entire year. The one-semester pass costs $50, the one-year pass costs $100. If students do not buy a parking pass, they run the risk of receiving a parking ticket, costing anywhere from $35 – $50, this price rising if left unpaid after 21 days. 

Through several interviews with current Westfield State students, I learned that I was not the only student frustrated with this paid parking mandate.

Dalyan Babcock, a current student at Westfield State University, shares an interesting opinion on monetized parking on campuses due to attending higher education at Westfield State (that mandates monetized parking) as well as the University of Victoria, located in British Colombia, Canada (that does not mandate monetized parking).

“I commute and it just seems like another thing, and it’s expensive . . . I feel like it’s important to pay for school in those aspects, but I feel like it’s an added thing I have to pay for,” said Babcock.

When asked why might Westfield State monetize parking while the University of Victoria does not, Babcock explains, “I don’t think any of them (colleges in Canada) you have to pay for parking . . . A lot of people use public transportation just because it is more accessible there.” 

Another current student, Nicole Connery, shares her feelings about having to pay to park on campus. Nicole Connery is a current student that has both lived on Westfield State campus and commuted, which offers intriguing insight. 

When asked about what benefits come with monetized parking on campus, Connery explains, “Res (resident) Life students don’t park in commuter spots and take up our space but like I don’t think, as a commuter, I should have to pay to park.”

However, she believes that the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits. “I don’t have $100 on a random Tuesday to spend.” Connery states.

This pattern of students’ frustration around monetized parking on campus continues. Tierney Boyle, another current student of Westfield State, lends her opinion on this matter.

“Having a spot to park your car should be something included in tuition . . . All these little fees add up to unneeded stress when we should be focusing on succeeding in the classroom.”

It is clear that monetized parking on Westfield State’s campus is unpopular among some attending students. However, it is important to recognize that only attending students pay for parking on campus. Those who work for the university are relieved from such payments. 

Professor Michael Filas, a current English professor of Westfield State University, speaks to how this phenomenon, of students being required to pay while faculty does not, is justified.

“It’s apples and oranges,” Professor Filas states.

“There are a couple hundred faculty and around 4k students; faculty are paid to work here and students pay to study here . . . Here’s a different comparison: when I started here faculty could use the fitness centers for free, like students, whose access comes with their student services fee. But for many years now faculty cannot use the fitness centers without paying around $100/semester.”

Westfield State’s Parking Clerk, Joshua Hettrick shares crucial insight of why Westfield State University needs parking permit fees.

“I think parking permit fees are better described as a necessity versus a benefit. It is easy to overlook the cost of operating parking on campus,” said Hettrick.

“There is the upkeep and repairs of the roadways and parking lots, as well as the parking signage used on the campus. The money collected for parking permits goes directly towards offsetting these costs . . . I also appreciate that the cost of the parking permit has not changed in over a decade despite the increasing costs of materials to maintain the campus roadways and parking areas.” 

This topic of monetized parking on campuses will continue to remain a controversy, but I ask you reader, do you think parking should be monetized for attending students?