Photo by Cheyenne Lawyer

Beginning this semester, students who want to park their cars on campus must pay a fee to register their cars. In previous years, students had been able to park and register their cars for free. Students received an email June 20 explaining this change.

All cars had to be reregistered, and Campus Security issued new, color-coded parking stickers. Cars that had been previously registered needed to be reregistered by Sept. 1. Students who are bringing their cars to campus for the first time can register and bring their cars to campus at any time. The new fee for residents is $100 for the whole year and $50 for commuters.

According to Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert Wallett, there is a price difference between resident and commuting students because of the amount of time residents spend parked on campus compared to commuters.

Wallett stated that this price is fairly reasonable and works out to be less than 50 cents a day. Wallett said that since it is the “first fee out of the shoot,” the committee decided upon “what [they] felt was reasonable.”

After comparing what other schools charge for parking, they chose a price that was in line with their peers.

Last spring, while meeting to discuss the upcoming fiscal year, members of Elizabethtown College’s administration brainstormed ideas to increase the College’s revenue.

According to Wallett, the College came up with various ideas to increase revenue. After discussing the ideas, the only one they decided to implement was the parking fee. They decided this was the most justifiable fee as they researched what other colleges were doing.

The median fee charged by other colleges is $780. Wallet stated that parking is always an issue on campus, especially since Etown is built as a campus for pedestrians. This reduces the areas parking lots can be built. Most of the parking is on the perimeter of campus. After figuring out the logistics, the committee presented this idea to include in the budget, got it approved and then notified the students of the change.

Wallett acknowledged the timing could have been better with this announcement, but they had to do it after the budget came out.

Many students have been wondering where their money has been going. According to Wallett, after the fee is paid, it goes directly into the general fund.

After the fiscal year is over, the excess money made goes into a reserve fund. This fund is then used to improve campus. By charging this fee, the College hopes to bring the margin up and make more capital.

The College does plan to use some of this revenue to improve parking.

In regards to improving parking, the College has already upgraded the parking lot by Leffler Chapel and Performance Center and the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. A new parking lot is also being built to the west of the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being, but this lot will be small and mostly for service vehicles.

Another new parking lot is currently being constructed behind the tennis courts. This parking lot is expected to be finished by next fall. Wallett stated that, due to the parking limitations that occur during events, the College is also looking at making some gravel, overflow parking lots.

Some of the tentative locations being considered are behind the baseball field, by the solar field, on top of College Hill and by Brown Lot.

Some students had suggested the idea of being “grandfathered in” to the parking fee to Wallett.

Wallett said that this was considered, but they decided against it in order to be fair to all students. Doing this would be discriminating towards certain groups, like the first-year students, who would be most likely using this parking the least.

Some students also wondered about changing parking regulations. Regulations as to where students can park have not changed as a result of this.

Information about where students can park can be found on Etown’s website under Campus Security.

Students have varying opinions on this new parking fee. Senior Cassandra Hoben wasn’t surprised by the new parking fee.

“It is what it is,” she said. “Most schools have parking fees.”

First-year Jamie Wood understands that parking is limited on campus but believes that “$100 is a lot to pay for a parking spot.”

Wallett said he hopes everyone understands the need for the parking fee, as it “ultimately goes to improving the campus.”