Proposed access fee may replace parking fee for UHCL students

At the March 5 Student Government Association (SGA) meeting, Mark Denney, vice president for administration and finance, presented a proposal for a new Campus Access Fee that, if supported, could become effective on campus fall 2020.

This new Campus Access Fee would be a fee paid by all students in order to generate resources that facilitate campus access such as the shuttle service, campus lighting, bike racks and other potential projects. If the new fee is approved, it will replace the current parking fee.

“It would collect a fee from all students, and then it would have the ability to provide resources such as the current shuttle service and so forth,” Denney said at the March 5 SGA meeting. “We would discontinue the parking fee, and it would institute an access fee.”

Students who purchase a parking pass currently pay $85 a year (or $50 for fall, $50 for spring and $35 for summer). The estimated cost of the Campus Access Fee would be $40 a semester, totaling $80 yearly.

While this would be a slight deduction for students who currently pay for a parking pass, it would generate an $80 fee to students who currently do not park on campus. As of now, all students pay a student service fee separate from tuition costs funds the shuttle service.

“Roughly 5,000 of our 9,000 total students buy a parking pass in fall, and just slightly less buy a parking permit in spring, so over half of our students pay for a parking permit,” Denney said.

Making this change would generate an additional amount of annual revenue for UHCL totaling to an estimated $200,000, Denny stated. Denny also stated the benefits from the Campus Access Fee could also lead to the prevention of an increase in future students tuition costs, for example, the funding from the access fee could be disbursed to provide a more extensive shuttle program

“With the added resource we could, and the emphasis on all this is ‘could’ because this is a notional idea of what we could have, is a larger shuttle or more shuttles, either way…right now our shuttle is pretty limited to up and down Bay Area Boulevard,” Denny said. “That may or may not be serving students best.”

Denny noted that the new revenue could possibly allow for a shuttle route between the Clear Lake, Pearland and Texas Medical Center campuses, and explained that using the shuttle to get students to and from class could head off the expenses for additional parking structure if UHCL continues to grow, which would otherwise demand a tuition increase.

If the Campus Access Fee passes, a student-driven council would be formed. This council would potentially meet quarterly to discuss and review resources, recommend changes, and recommend what the Campus Access Fee should be used for in the following year.

“The money collected from the fee would be used for things like the UHCL shuttle bus, parking permits, parking lot maintenance and many more things,” said SGA Executive Council President Izuh Ikpeama. “Although I think these are things that should already be done by the university, I think this fee would be beneficial because Mark Denney said that the money allocations would be decided by a student committee, so the best interests of the students will be taken into consideration.”

In regards to the potential pros and cons to the fee proposal, SGA Vice President Jessica Kunzat stated a student-based committee will delegate where the funds from the Campus Access Fee are utilized.

“This is another pro in my opinion because it allows for funds to be applied places when necessary,” Kunzat said. “The only con that I could possibly think of would be that students who were not paying for a parking fee before would now also be a part of paying for this access fee. However, I feel that this con is negated because these funds pay for more than just parking.”

An information campaign is scheduled to continue the rest of the spring 2019 semester. Nearing the end of the fall 2019 semester, a Student Referendum vote will take place. This allows the voice of the students to dictate whether or not the Campus Access Fee is passed. If the fee is favored by student voters, it will then be presented to Senior Leadership for presidential approval. If approved, the Fee will be presented to the UHS Board of Regents in February 2020.

If the proposal is successful, the Campus Access Fee will be presented to Legislature and be made effective fall 2020.