Parking on campus is one of the most stressful and difficult tasks that I have to encounter on a daily basis. Whether I’m trying to catch a bus in the commuter lots of Hilton Coliseum, or searching for a no-permit-required parking spot on campus, it’s always stressful for me.

As someone who has received more parking tickets this school year than I care to admit, I originally viewed Iowa State’s parking disaster as a greedy administrative issue.

A geographically-distant free commuter lot, limited on-campus permits, and an even smaller amount of metered spots coupled with increased rates for hourly parking and parking ticket charges, makes most students who drive to campus frustrated with the current situation. The common belief is that, as students who pay enough in tuition already, we should have more feasible and convenient parking options.

This was at least my perspective before meeting with Mark Miller, director of the Iowa State Parking Division. Wanting to understand why I don’t deserve better parking as an Iowa State student, I met with Miller in order to get some questions answered.

Miller was able to provide insight that changed my perspective on the situation and led me to a new conclusion. After explaining that the ISU Parking Division is a separate entity from Iowa State and that they do not receive any of my tuition money, I now realize that they’re just as much victim to ‘the man’ as I am.

The Parking Division, as Miller explained, is funded entirely by the costs of parking permits, parking tickets and parking meters. At the same time, the Parking Division is tasked with the maintenance of bike paths and on-campus parking such as line painting, pothole filling, repaving, sealing and snow removal.

So, while students like myself are complaining about the lack and cost of parking, the fees from parking actually go back to support the development of better parking amenities.

In response to the interest of increasing on-campus parking, Miller shared that the Parking Division explored options of building a new parking ramp behind the Design building, or adding additional lots near Howe Hall.

However, Miller said that these resolutions “aren’t worth it due to the high cost of the projects.”

For example, if a parking ramp were implemented near Design, prices of parking permits for the lot would be unreasonable in order to cover construction costs.

The reality of the parking issue is that it is a multi-faceted problem that can only be resolved with financing from Iowa State. As a student, I can understand the lack of desire to increase tuition prices, especially as they already steadily increase each year.

However, the only way to resolve the issue would be to expand the parking available to students. That can only happen with financial support from Iowa State administration. Either that, or we all need to stop complaining.