At the beginning of each school year, alongside class registration, signing leases and for some returning to Tuscaloosa, the addition of registering for a parking pass and the fee dropping on student bills is a pain that students are all too familiar with.
However, undergraduate students who wish to park their vehicles on campus are not the only individuals who have to budget for a parking pass — this is also a requirement for faculty, staff and graduate students.
On Oct. 26, The Crimson White published an opinion column arguing that there needed to be changes to the parking system for student workers implemented. This should extend to faculty, staff and graduate students as well.
Requiring these individuals to purchase parking passes at the cost they are offered for a campus they work on is unnecessary.
While undergraduate students are provided resources that allow the ability to park on campus to be a privilege, such as public transportation and proximity housing, these are often not extended to or reasonable for graduate students and university staff.
A significant population of faculty and staff commute to Tuscaloosa on a daily basis rather than reside in the city itself.
For both nine month and 12 month employees, the cost of a parking pass ranges from $345-$680. Compared to the cost of faculty and staff parking passes at comparable universities, Alabama’s price is significantly higher. Auburn University and the University of Georgia offer an annual pass for $100 and $120, respectively.
Requiring paid individuals to contribute a portion of their salary to the ability to park on campus, when parking on campus is necessary to complete their jobs, inverts the system entirely. The University of Tennessee Knoxville bases its parking pass cost on base salary. This further emphasizes that the fee is not for administration purposes or maintenance of the lot themselves, but rather a money grab.
The University of Alabama should follow in the footsteps of universities, such as Miami University in Ohio, that offer free parking options for faculty and staff — and lead the way in offering free parking for graduate students working on campus as well.
The Crimson White editorial board consists of Editor-in-Chief Maven Navarro; Managing Editor Jacob Ritondo; Engagement Editor Emma Brandenburg; Opinions Editor Ella Seaton; and Chief Copy Editors Rachel Talley and Lauren Chumbley.
