College is full of stressful situations. Tests, projects, work and trying to make it through the semester in general, all cause major struggles in a college student’s life. There is one struggle, however, not many people think would cause a big issue: parking.
Parking on a college campus is one of the most difficult struggles students will face and they face it everyday. Mississippi State University’s campus is not exempt from the battle that is parking on campus.
It all begins the summer before fall semester. This is decal-purchasing time. Buying a decal is when the “The Hunger Games” of parking begins. There is only a small window from when they first become available to when all that is left are parking lots that require a 15-minute hike to any of the academic buildings.
Sarah Gresham Barr, junior public relations major, said she had to deal with the loss of a good parking decal.
“I was working at camp this summer without internet access when permits went up,” Barr said, “and by the time I got a night off, there were only coliseum spots left, but I spend a majority of my time in McComas. Permits sell out so quickly that anyone with a summer job can’t get a permit if they miss the very narrow window.”
Buying a decal is not the only part of parking on campus that students struggle with every semester. What follows is also part of the battle.
Once the decal is purchased, a student can only park in the parking areas designated by that decal. If a student chooses to disregard this decal, he or she risks receiving the dreaded parking ticket. Of course, if it is after 3 p.m., any car with a commuter decal can park in any commuter parking lot. After 5 p.m., anyone can park anywhere.
Many students have received parking tickets for various reasons. Some are able to get out of having to pay through the use of appeals, others are not so lucky. When in a hurry to be somewhere, students do not always think about the consequences of where they park. They simply park somewhere and go.
Bali Leffall-Young, senior communication studies major, said she has a lot of experience with receiving parking tickets on campus.
“I have probably racked up about $1,000 worth of parking tickets over my four years here,” Leffall-Young said. “I stopped buying decals because there weren’t any decals available near any of my classes by the time I tried to get one. If I parked in the wrong zone, I would get a $30 ticket. So, I stopped buying them altogether and started getting $135 tickets.”
Leffall-Young said she now rarely parks on campus.
“ I live at The Pointe so I mostly walk, but every so often, I take my chances,” Leffall-Young said. “I only park on campus when I’m running late or if I’m injured.”
Running late or trying to get on campus during a time when everyone else is also trying to get on campus can cause parking issues as well. Sometimes finding a parking spot in the correct parking lot is hard and once it one is found, students are rushing trying not to be late for class.
Parking on a college campus is harder than most people think, but occasionally there are those days where the perfect spot is found, and from there the rest of the day just gets brighter.
