by Jemya Lucas

Commuter students, do you agree that it costs too much to park on campus? Ever wondered why commuter students have to pay twice as much to park than evening commuter students?

According to Greensboro College’s Campus Safety and Security Department, parking permits cost $220 for commuter students and $110 for evening commuter students. Why are the permit prices different when parking is in the same area? Not only do the price differences seem arbitrary but paying so much to park can cause a financial burden to some students.

Third year GC student, Sandra Kiyaya, thinks that it costs too much to park and it should be reduced. It will be helpful for commuter students if GC considers making parking free or reduce the permit prices since we have to cover the cost of tuition and pay for additional expenses outside of the school.

When it comes to college, students already have the financial responsibility of being able to afford school and purchase textbooks. We also face the dilemma of other non-scholastic obligations such as car maintenance, gas, food and paying house bills. Some students also have children, so along with gas prices on the rise, the prices of childcare, school tuition, diapers and baby food are also major expenses.

That being said, these parking permit prices really are not taking into consideration additional expenses commuter students have to pay for. The average college student usually has a part time job in the retail or restaurant business where starting pay is between $7-$10 with a weekly or bi-weekly pay period. One paycheck most likely is not enough to accumulate the total price of a parking permit.

What happens if a commuter student does not have the money to purchase a parking permit? Unfortunately, they will receive a parking violation notice, which costs an additional $75-$250.

This is an area where many students, especially commuter students, at Greensboro College would like to see change.