Student parking fees will likely increase. A third of general parking at the University of Memphis will be eliminated when construction of the new recreation center and pedestrian bridge are completed. As a result, the per semester parking fee will increase from $42 to $69 to cover the cost of
a parking garage to replace the lost spaces.
Some University of Memphis students are unhappy with the prospect of higher student fees after news that parking permits will likely increase by about 65 percent.
“We already pay through the roof to go to school here, and a lot of us have to pay out of pocket,†aid junior Shawn Mufti. “I had to pay an extra amount for the new recreation center, and I don’t like the idea of having to pay more to only add about 200 more spaces.â€
Student fees were increased by more than $300 a semester in 2014 to pay for the $62 million recreation center and pedestrian bridge.
As of now, most full-time students pay $42 per semester to park in general lots at the U of M, which will likely jump to $69 per semester starting fall 2017 to fund the parking garage. Priority parkers will have to pay $95.
Some Student Government Association senators thought that the money they paid for the new recreation center would have covered the new garage.
           “One problem I do have is that the administration led us to believe that this was part of the recreation center fee that was passed two years ago,†former student senator Charles Uffelman said. “I was really disappointed to find that wasn’t the case.â€
Even some U of M officials assumed the recreation center fee hike would go toward paying for parking as well.
 “When the fee increase was discussed for the new rec center and land bridge – I wasn’t a part of those conversations – we thought that the fee that was voted on included the cost of a garage,†Angela Floyd, director of Parking and Transportation Services at the U of M, said. “It did not.â€
           The plan to build a garage to make up for the 1,489 general parking spaces that will be lost after the brand new recreation center and land bridge are built will cost the students $18.6 million.
           “The campus master plan does have several facilities that are supposedly going to be built on our parking lots to the north and the south,†Uffelman said. “I think we are lucky to have these opportunities to expand our campus.â€
           If the plan goes into place, parking fees for most full-time students would increase by 65 percent, while the average student would pay $27 more per semester, and the main campus would add 245 more parking spaces.
If fees do not go up, the campus would lose 695 spaces as a result of the construction of the rec center and the bridge, according to U of M officials.
           While many students are upset about the hike in fees, they know a new parking garage is basically a necessity the University cannot go without.
           “Parking is already very limited right now,†sophomore Brianna Palomares said. “I’d much rather have more parking available and pay money than lose that many spaces.â€
           While the student senate does not have the power to increase student fees, they are expected to vote Feb. 4 on whether or not they agree with the fee hike during their 7:30 p.m. meeting.
    For now, it seems likely that many senators will vote in favor of the parking garage fee.
           “Students, including myself, are constantly complaining about the lack of available parking,†current student senator Daniel Stevenson said. “I understand that construction plans along with predicted costs can change over time, so I don’t find it too surprising that an additional fee was needed. It’s a necessary cost.â€
