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january 31, 2013
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In a tight
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Mandatory parking, pedestrian access fee angers, confuses students at Worcester State University
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illustration by micah benson | art director
By Marissa Blanchard Staff Writer
tudents at Worcester State University are unhappy with a $72 mandatory “parking/pedestrian access fee” and the lack of parking space they see in return. The fee has been in place for three years, but students are frustrated by the limited parking on campus. WSU’s Board of Trustees and Student Government Association often receive complaints about the lack of parking on campus. Before the fee was implemented in the fall of 2010, the basic elective parking fee was $120 a year. One of students’ main concerns is that the mandatory fee cannot be covered by financial aid, said Lea Ann Scales, assistant vice president of public relations and marketing at WSU, in an email. In addition to parking shortages, students have taken issue with the fact that they are charged to walk on campus, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported Jan. 20. But officials say the name is misleading and students are not being charged to walk on campus. “This has snowballed into something that it is not,” said SGA senate chair Marion Calabro. “No one is being charged to walk on campus.” The student senate has been working closely with the WSU Board of Trustees to clarify that the fee goes toward new emergency call boxes, clearing snow and supporting new construction projects, Calabro said. Three major construction projects, including a new residence hall, renovations to the library and a new athletic building, shut down major parking lots on campus. Some students now find themselves circling the parking lots for so long they eventually give up and miss class. The main parking garage on campus, which has 550 spots, opened in 2007, and fills up early in the school day, according to the Telegram & Gazette article. The Board of Trustees encourages students to leave 30 minutes to an hour before class to get on campus to find a spot or use the shuttle and walk to class. “I think when everyone is on break is the only time you could find parking at WSU,” said Alfred Sogja, a freshman at WSU, in the article. WSU administrators are encouraging students to use other parking lots, such as Worcester Regional Airport. Incentives, such as gift cards and raffles, encourage students to park at the airport about three miles from campus and then take a shuttle, Calabro said. “Everything is in transition and there are some growing pains,” Calabro said. “It might not be the most convenient thing, but the university is growing and we need it.” Representatives in the SGA have proactively approached the situation when students questioned the actions toward the parking issue, Calabro said. She added that the situation is not permanent, but the lack of parking will continue to be problematic to WSU’s campus for the next two or three years while construction continues. The university continuously looks for new parking lots, and will continue to use the airport for the remainder of the semester, Calabro said. “It seems like a giant miscommunication; this fee isn’t shady,” Calabro said. “This is a growing campus. It isn’t necessarily the easiest thing, but it is the necessary thing.” mjblanch@syr.edu
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