The first week of adjusting to new housing and classes can be enough to think about, but for Tom Burns, finding a place to park his car was the first thing on his agenda.
The packaging sophomore said he was disappointed Friday after waiting in long lines, when he requested Lot 83 on Service Road, only to end up in the commuter lot.
“I didn’t end up getting the lot I wanted,” Burns said. “It sold out five minutes after I got up there, so I’m in the commuter lot and on a waiting list for Lot 83.”
Students received parking registration forms in the spring, and those who procrastinated will receive a pass if they register - but not necessarily in the location they desire.
Students still attempting to register for passes will have to settle for the two lots that aren’t sold out - Lot 75 on Kalamazoo Street and Lot 89, the commuter lot, on Mount Hope Road and Farm Lane. But they can sign up on a waiting list for the lots they desire.
Deputy Chief Mike Rice said the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety does consensus counts of the lots, and if counts are low they give out more permits. But the majority of students eventually end up where they were wait listed.
Rice said the number of parking passes requested has remained stable in the last couple years. Since 1983, MSU’s parking system has been used to generate revenue through pay lots, meters and special events passes.
Rice said it would be ideal for closer parking, but warned limited spots are for visitors, students with disabilities and employees. He said the campus can park 25,000 vehicles at once, but the parking infrastructure is self-funded and expensive to maintain.
“It’s a shared source,” he said. It’s not enough to go around but enough for everyone to use.”
Depending on their schedules, students who drive to class might have trouble finding parking spaces near their destination. Students also are more likely to make weekend shopping trips and to go home on the weekends.
Commuters who want to avoid the lines such as the ones that extended out of the DPPS Friday and Monday can go online to register at www.dpps.msu.edu.
Despite the time it took to get a parking permit, general science sophomore Jessica Rice, who is not related to Mike Rice, braved the long lines with hopes to park at the football stadium during classes to avoid taking the Capital Area Transportation Authority bus system.
Students should be aware that spots closer to the center of campus are more expensive - so those walks from the commuter lot can save money.
Other students, such as engineering sophomore Mike Schultz who lives in McDonel Hall, are searching for permits to store their vehicles for occasional use. Schultz hopes to travel to an off-campus job, in addition to visiting his girlfriend at Central Michigan University.
Chemical engineering sophomore David McMahan said they brought cars to save himself from being stuck in East Lansing on homesick weekends.
“Last year I didn’t have a car and it happened a couple of times that I was stuck and couldn’t go home when I wanted to,” he said.
