Commuter parking at the University of Mary Washington is nothing short of an expensive inconvenience, and this petition aims to let the university know precisely how its students, faculty and staff feel about this unnecessary cost.

 A cost of $200 (or more for residential students) is outrageous, especially when one takes into consideration that paying for a parking decal does not guarantee a commuter student a convenient parking space, extra security against assault or break-ins, or even high-maintenance parking facilities. This petition, aside from voicing discontent, proposes three solutions to the parking situation at UMW:

1) Parking free of decals and cost for students, faculty and staff, with no priority or preferential parking system; this would allow everyone who parks on or near UMW campus to park wherever is most convenient for them on a first-come, first-serve basis. In this case, the fines for displaying an expired decal or parking without a decal would be raised, to offset the lost revenue of the more expensive decal.

2) A cost of no more than $10 to students, regardless of their housing situation. This would essentially cover the cost of the decal itself, as the current exorbitant cost of a parking permit does nothing to ensure a better parking space for students. This system would still allow UMW police to ticket those students who refused to purchase decals, or nonstudents who park in university-sanctioned parking areas. If the reason to avoid purchasing a decal (the ridiculous cost) is eliminated, most students would purchase one and avoid the additional cost of tickets and other fines. As in the previous case, the fines for displaying an expired decal or parking without a decal would be raised, to offset the lost revenue of the more expensive decal.

3) The addition of a larger parking lot, deck or other structure to the southern end of campus with numbered spaces for commuter students (in the vicinity of the William Street lot). This would guarantee that each student's parking space is empty and waiting for them at the time of their arrival to campus, eliminating the need to waste time, gas, and energy searching for a parking space before class. Commuter students would pay the $200 fee for a guaranteed space, and UMW police would still be able to ticket students without a decal or nonstudents parking in that area.

A number of universities and colleges offer free parking to their students, or at the very least, parking decals at under $10. Germanna Community College and J. Sergeant Reynolds allow their students to park for free on a first-come, first-serve basis. With students outnumbering faculty by about 30 to 1 at UMW, there is no need for faculty to be given priority parking in the most convenient areas that nearly matches the number of spaces available to commuter students. On top of the ever-rising cost of a college education, it is ridiculous to penalize those students who must drive to and from school because they cannot afford to live on campus and usually have to work in order to pay for their education.

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