Editor’s Note: This article first appeared as part of the August 9 flipbook.

On-campus parking permits are expensive, as they go for hundreds of dollars and are an extra financial burden for students. Unfortunately, part-time student employees often must purchase these pricey permits or pay daily garage fees just to get to work.

Student employees shouldn’t have to pay to be at work while also paying for their tuition. UT should offer free — or at least reduced — parking prices for students working on campus.

Ima Esiere, arts and entertainment technologies senior, has had to resort to complicated loopholes to avoid costly parking fees while she’s working.

“I don’t do it every time I work, but … I’ll just drive to one of the garages behind the (Student Services Building). And then I’ll just take a COVID test, and then they’ll validate the parking,” Esiere said.

Students shouldn’t have to resort to these alternatives. UT should simplify this convoluted process by making parking for student employees more affordable while they’re on the clock.

Blanca Gamez, associate director of Parking and Transportation Services, said that driving to campus isn’t the only option for students and suggests public transportation. However, especially in the summer, extreme weather conditions make driving the ideal solution for students.

“There are days where I just feel like getting to work is so annoying. Like, I have to wait for the bus in the heat in the dead of summer, and then I have to walk home because I don’t trust the buses to pick me up from work (in) a timely manner,” Esiere said. “Yesterday, I had been (outside) earlier before work, and I got so overheated I had to miss work because I felt ill.”

While public transportation works during less severe weather conditions, it’s not currently the most practical as Austin recently recorded the warmest July in its history. Not only is weather an obstacle, but timing work around bus schedules can also be an issue. Student employees who have their own vehicles shouldn’t have to resort to these alternatives when the University can offer more parking accommodations. 

Gamez also said that for the time being, the best solution is for students to look at current student parking plans and choose the one that best fits their needs. She suggests the Student Parking Perks program to help deduct daily parking garage fees for eligible students. However, Esiere said paying $5 to park costs the same as half an hour of work. 

The University should take more initiative to offer more parking accommodations so student wages don’t go toward parking.

“Any adjustments that we do when it comes to permit pricing goes through our C9 Policy Committee,” Gamez said. “I think it’s a novel idea, and I think it would require a better, deeper look at a proposal like that.”

Current parking accommodations add on to students’ financial stress. Students already have to take money out of their hourly wage just to park. To help relieve this, UT should draft a legitimate proposal for parking accommodations to support its student employee base. 

Su is a neuroscience junior from Dallas, Texas.