GRAPHIC: Above view angle of cars on a cobblestone parking lot with a 3D graphic of dollar signs between the cars. Graphic by The Signal reporter, Mark Brady. — Above view angle of cars on a cobblestone parking lot with a 3D graphic of dollar signs between the cars. Graphic by The Signal reporter, Mark Brady.

Creative Commons Attribution

Proposed Campus Access Fee makes “cents” for students

By Mark Brady On Apr 1, 2019 287 0

Students who commute to the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) have all been there. You pull into the campus parking lot with five minutes to spare, and you are struggling to find a parking spot. This, along with frustrations regarding lack of efficiency in the current shuttle service has led to a new discussion on campus.

Parking and campus access are a complicated issue, and Mark Denney, vice president for administration and finance, has put the ball in the student’s court to decide what happens next by proposing a new Campus Access Fee in lieu of the current Parking Fee.

What does the new Campus Access Fee entail?

Well, it is important to note that this is all in the discussion phase, and Denney has stressed if it is determined that this is not what is best for students, it will not be passed.

The initial form of the proposal suggests removing the current parking fee ($85 per year if paid up front, or $50 per long semester/$35 for summer), and replacing it with a Campus Access Fee, possibly set at $40 per semester. The important thing to know is that ALL students would pay the access fee, not just students who park on campus. These tentative figures would mean that students who currently pay the yearly parking fee rate would see a slight decrease of $5 per year. However, students who do not pay for parking would see an $80 increase in their overall cost of attendance.

The approximately $200,000 generated in annual fee revenue would be used to expand bus routes, improve campus lighting, and add new bike racks. These ideas are being put forward with the notion these improvements would help reduce some of the strain on the current parking infrastructure. If successful, this proposal could, in fact, save students money in the future since it could possibly remove the need to build a multi-million dollar parking garage on campus.

Denney stated that the fee would be separate from tuition, and could work quite similar to the current rec center fee students pay per semester. He suggests a student-driven Campus Access Fee committee be formed to determine not only what the students want but how to accomplish those goals.

Why can’t tuition cover this?

Unfortunately, campus access is considered outside of the educational mission of the university, and thus must be an auxiliary system funded through additional fees collected.

Parking would work much the same as it does now, with students still being required to register their vehicles and acquire a parking tag. Staff and faculty would still be required to pay the current parking fee.

What about the shuttles?

Denney’s suggestion is that we could lease a single, larger, 30-person shuttle for about $100,000 per year, or lease several smaller shuttles, which could drive a wider route. Right now our shuttle service is essentially limited to a single van running up and down Bay Area Boulevard.

Denney suggested adding many of the local high schools as potential pickup spots since logically a student who just graduated high school and wishes to attend UHCL could easily get to the high school shuttle stop. Additionally, this would provide a shuttle route to the UHCL-Pearland campus and back. These longer routes would be equipped with WiFi, thus allowing students the opportunity for increased productivity as opposed to driving themselves.

The funding of this proposal would ideally allow for expansion of the shuttle staff, so if one driver is sick the shuttles could still reliably pickup on time. Also, students will be swiping their new ID cards upon boarding the shuttles, which will provide useful ridership data for further route improvements.

So what happens next?

Denney says the formation of an “access advisory council,” (tentative name, to be voted on), which would include students, administrators, faculty, staff, and a representative from the local transit system, would be ideal.

The timeline moving forward could look like this: informational campaign this semester, followed by a student referendum in late fall when there is enough information available.

In summary, this proposal is truly in the hands of the students and it is up to the student body to decide if this is a necessary addition to our current systems. Ultimately, it is a necessary discussion to be had, since parking and campus access is certainly a central aspect of daily student life.

Denney did state, as well, that the UHCL new student body headcount has continued to trend upward; a trend that further indicates the necessity to address parking issues sooner, rather than later.

In conclusion, this is an obvious benefit for students who currently pay parking fees.

Students who currently do not pay the parking fee could understandably be opposed to this for financial reasons. However, as stated by Denney, with the ongoing positive trends in new student enrollment, a multi-million dollar parking garage is a definite possibility, which all students would have to shoulder the bill for. For the above reasons, everyone should support the new Campus Access Fee, as it will save money over time.