An object inherently rife with the larcenous ideals of the capitalist structure, the Drew parking pass seeks to milk more money out of commuter students who already pay an ever-increasing tuition.
This year, Drew increased the price of their parking pass: from the already pricey $200 to a whopping $325. In reality, the pass costs $340 with fees.
It seems the administration has taken advice from The Acorn’s previous article that advocated offering different prices for different students. They did, in fact, make the parking cheaper for part-time students by charging $162 instead of $200. Setting a lower price for part-time students is perfectly reasonable.
However, increasing the price by $125 for full-time students is unreasonable. Usually, commuters choose not to live on campus to save money on residential fees. The high price of the parking, on top of gas prices, is a major inconvenience for students who were originally trying to save money.
It is also unreasonable to charge resident students so much for parking when they are already paying so much for room and board. While it is good that the price for parking was lowered for part-time students, that was not the most important issue pertaining to parking at Drew; the rise in price does not seem justifiable for anyone.
Apart from the price being an issue for students, the actual parking is another source of student ire. It seems like Drew distributes more parking passes than there are parking spaces available. The parking is essentially first come, first serve. The commuter lot behind Sitterly House continues to fill to capacity even when commuters arrive early, forcing them to park in the main lot. This lot is usually also full, forcing commuters to park in the free visitors lot. It is insanely unfair that anyone can park in the Tilghman visitors lot while the commuters pay $325 to park there if parking spills over. This completely defeats the purpose of buying the parking pass. If students are forced to park in the free parking lot, the parking pass should not cost $325.
The parking lots are also not conveniently located. Although it is nice not to have parking lots in the middle of campus, which would ruin the tranquil views, the lots are far away from important buildings. Resident students also have to fight for spots that are conveniently placed next to their dorms. Students are forced to park far from their destinations, which is inconvenient and poses serious safety concerns when it is dark out. Commuters who are parked behind Sitterly have to sometimes walk in the darkness since the lamps do not always work. This is uncomfortable, dangerous and just another reason that the parking passes are not worth their high price.
If the price for parking increased, the quality should have also improved, but it’s clear that nothing of value has changed. If this was a way to discourage students from getting parking passes, or simply just a money grab, it does not change the fact that students need to have their cars on campus. If the parking does not improve and students are not provided with more parking spaces, the price should go back to what it was.
