 "Photo: Nick Wallace")
The cost to park at university-owned lots and meters increased last month, upsetting some students and employees who drive their cars to campus.
On Jan. 3, the rates of all university parking meters changed from 25 cents per 12 minutes to 25 cents per 10 minutes. In addition, the rates in all pay-to-park lots on campus increased by 25 cents per half hour.
Richard Rind, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said the change will affect the parking garages at the Roselle Center for the Arts, Perkins Student Center, Trabant University Center and the Visitor's Center lot. He said the meters and lots on Main Street and on all other city streets will not increase.
Rind said the decision to raise rates was made completely independent of the city of Newark, with the sole intention of increasing revenue amid budgetary concerns.
"The goal of the department is to just break even, and currently we're not," Rind said. "We're not trying to make money off of this. It's always easy to say ‘Oh, we'll just charge the students more,' but that's not what we're about."
He said the university considered other options, such as raising permit rates or implementing a transportation fee for students as part of tuition costs, but ultimately decided to increase pay-to-park rates to avoid directly hurting the wallets of those who frequently park on campus.
"We needed to find a creative way to raise that money without affecting students and faculty," he said. "This seemed to be the least painful."
Amber Case, a University Dining Services cashier, said she used to park in the Trabant University Center garage every day for work until the price increased. With the new rates, parking her car in the lot during her eight hour shift will cost will cost 16 dollars.
The $4 maximum charge during the weekends has also been discontinued.
Case said she now parks her car in the lot outside Delaware Stadium and rides university shuttle buses to get to work, which can be problematic sometimes.
"On the weekends the shuttle doesn't run," Case said. "So I have to get somebody to come pick me up and if I can't then I have to walk."
She said the price is an unwelcome change, especially because she received no warning prior to the price increase.
Senior Camille Legge said she didn't notice the rates had gone up until she arrived on campus and thought university officials should have done a better job alerting students, faculty and staff.
Legge, who occasionally parks in the parking garage next to the Trabant University Center when she doesn't feel like walking to class, said she thinks price increase will discourage her from parking her car in the garage.
She said the cost of parking at a university-owned lot is definitely an issue and the university's parking situation reflected upon the city as a whole.
"That's Newark's problem, parking is ridiculous and rates have been going up all over," Legge said. "I'm surprised its taken the university so long."
Kyle Simpson, a cashier at the garage next to the Trabant University Center, said numerous people have expressed their displeasure to him regarding the increased prices to park there.
"I can feel for the people that really park here on a daily basis," he said.
Although some university employees have expressed their unhappiness with the change, Rind said department officials have heard very few complaints. He also said the university does not anticipate raising them again until at least the middle of next year.
"Our plan at this point is to not raise rates any more," he said. "Our plan is to hold the line."
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