By Emily Murphy, Hope Doyen & Ashley Harrison
UWGB offers students multiple places to park their cars while living on or off campus. However, UWGB parking lots are becoming more of an issue for students. Students are talking about how parking lots are inconveniently placed throughout campus in regard to where their classes are, the number of parking spots, how often they are maintained, etc.
Every semester, UWGB students need to pay for a parking pass in order to park on campus. UWGB has more available parking than any other UWGB school, but still, there are issues with these parking lots.
The Kress parking lot is a widely used parking lot for students every day who work out, attend classes in the Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, etc. However, students are questioning why the parking lot is lowly monitored and not maintained during the winter or when it needs repairs. Recently in 2022, the Kress parking lot saw a replacement with a new blacktop but didn’t see more lighting or security cameras applied to the parking lot. Students are concerned about their safety when walking through parking lots at night because there is limited lighting and no security cameras in the chance of something happening to them. There are numerous questions arising from students and what their parking pass fees are going towards.
The parking pass prices were charged to students during the Fall and Spring semester only and respectively, which is $100.00. J-term and Summer courses are lowered because of limited students, but students are still unclear about where their money is going. The price of parking tickets is 25 dollars for parking in a time-sensitive location or a location not reserved for residents with a permit.
UWGB 2021-2022 Parking Pass Prices
Source: https://www.uwgb.edu/public-safety/parking-pass-virtual-permit/permit-rates/
Green Bay students like Alli Misialek (Junior) and Baily Wiemann (Junior) have shared insight about parking and the prices of permits. Misialek believes there is not enough room for parking in the Kress, and outside the apartment buildings often leaves students walking a great distance. Misialek mentioned the new additions of the parking pavement and sidewalk were positive to have students’ money go towards that. Wiemann also stated that the new pavement was nice in such a popular parking lot, but other areas are still in need of new pavement. Winter in Wisconsin can be tough, especially on roads, and parking lots on campus have a lot of potholes that can damage cars. Misialek commented on how there needs to be new pavement on more than just one parking lot. Misialek personally experienced a flat tire in the parking lot. The lack of lighting around the parking lots has also presented some concerns. Misialek commented on how more lighting would be beneficial along with the addition of security cameras. Since there have been instances of people having their cars vandalized. Wiemann commented on the lighting and security of the parking lot and how she and other students would feel safer if there were more.
Misialek said, “The prices of parking permits are relatively fair compared to other campuses and universities. However, the original 70 dollars it once was would be nice.” Wiemann also commented that at her previous college, the parking prices were a lot cheaper, but it was a smaller school. However, it does seem a little expensive for a parking permit that is relatively limited to where visitors can park. When asked about parking tickets, both Misialek and Wiemann thought the prices were quite high and that, a lot of times, the tickets seem unfair because students who are already paying such a high price for permits can receive additional fines. Wiemann also mentioned that she received a ticket for parking in the wrong parking lot.
A UWGB student’ flat tire from the UWGB parking lots. Photo Credit: alli Misialek
A UWGB student car with a ticket from UWGB. Photo Credit: Bailey Wiemann