During last year’s game against South Carolina, I was radicalized. As a student library assistant working 1-5 p.m. on Friday, I had to find midday parking in the East commuter lot — no simple feat. To my surprise, I was told by a parking attendant I would have to leave my shift early or have my car towed, as the lot was only for those who purchased a ticket for “weekend parking,” starting at 5 p.m.
It’s time that student workers get staff privileges with parking. With the cheapest commuter pass being $375, in tandem with a 7.2% increase in permit sales this year, a parking space is more expensive and competitive to get, just to make it to class. For student workers, those spaces can mean the difference between making rent or not.
Audrey Dichazy, a student studying history and current student assistant at UA’s Shelby Collection said that having a parking permit was necessary for students who were not served by campus buses, and that they use their permit daily. Without access to parking on campus, students would have to worry about leaving their vehicles in unmonitored areas.
With 140 reports of car break-ins in Tuscaloosa in August of last year alone, that fear is not unfounded. This is a recurring issue in many college towns, and especially prevalent in Tuscaloosa. Parking on campus goes beyond convenience. As irritating as it may be, UA Parking can provide a needed layer of security for cars on campus.
On the topic of safety, parking close to one’s place of work is especially important during night shifts. As a former Gorgas Library assistant, my closing shifts would end at 2 a.m. on weekdays. But as an East Commuter, a dark, lonely walk was ahead of me if there were no spots available in front of the library.
While I of course don’t condone parking illegally, it does seem like the best option in many cases. Dichazy said that they had never gotten a ticket, but had parked in places not included on their parking pass during regular campus hours.
If a student worker permit were to be created, demand for more parking spaces would increase. More parking would simply mean more construction. With both the four-level Capstone Parking Deck and seven-level Tutwiler Parking Deck each taking about one calendar year for construction, a student worker deck is not going to happen anytime soon.
Instead, an upgrade may be a better solution. As part of the onboarding process, student workers could receive a sticker or designation, made traceable through their UA Parking Services account. With this upgrade, parking in faculty or staff reserved spaces during business hours should be permitted, as a student worker is part of UA staff — at least for a given time frame.
The main appeal of being a student worker is convenience. In my experience, student jobs are more understanding about needing to miss a shift to study, offer flexible hours during exam season, are closed or have limited hours during school breaks and not to mention they’re right there on campus already. The parking situation at UA should not diminish that appeal.
