This story was originally published in Vol. 33, Issue 6 (February 2023)
An annual parking pass at WSU Vancouver costs between around $168 and $297 depending on the lot, according to the parking services website. As a new semester begins, students are questioning the cost, safety and accessibility of the parking lots on campus. The VanCougar asked students their thoughts on WSU Vancouver’s parking system and required parking permits.
Isabelle Castro
Junior business major: “I know that a lot of other bigger universities charge way more for parking but that’s also because they have dorms and students living on campus. They don’t necessarily have to pay for parking, as opposed to here as a commuter campus. The ticketing is also kind of harsh … [The Office of Student Involvement] Instacarted a bunch of drinks and snacks for an October event. So, the Instacart driver parked in the front by the Bookie and got down to help take down the cases, and they got ticketed in less than 10 minutes.”
Hannah Burbach
Senior humanities major: “I feel like overall, the parking passes are super expensive on top of tuition, books and other expenses we have to pay … I was walking to the green parking lot one night and there were these guys in a truck asking where the bookstore was, and this was at 7:30 at night. I got out of class at 7 [p.m.] and I was lucky I was with my friend.”
Sonia Duran
Senior history major: “I’ve been [parking] here on campus since COVID for two years now and I’ve always parked in orange. Right after COVID I was okay with the parking, there were a lot more spaces available but especially this year there’s not [enough] parking spots, you have to go to one of the other orange lots … One other thing is how small the parking spaces are. If you have a big SUV or even a truck, it’s extremely hard to park in any of the spaces. If you’re running late and there’s a tiny space, chances are you’re not going to be able to get it because there’s already a big [truck] blocking it. It would be nice to have bigger spots towards the end of the parking lot for bigger SUVs and cars.”
Corey Hing
Junior accounting major: “I feel like we’re paying a lot of money. I had to buy two permits [because] I have a brother who goes here and we carpool sometimes, so we’re paying twice the amount and it’s not really going back to us … I went to Clark College and I really liked the free parking. I wish we had free parking here because Clark can do it. Why can’t we?”
Norman is a senior majoring in Integrated Strategic Communications and Digital Technology & Culture.