CSU parking changes unfair

Recently, in an effort to make more money, a greedy higher-up of Cleveland State University ordered for two on-campus parking lots to be permanently destroyed only to make way for Viking Village—apartments and retail space. This enrages me and many other commuters.

CSU, why are you charging students the same ridiculously high price of $205.25 for a product you're not even capable of delivering? I asked a woman who worked for the parking department and she told me "Yes, all of the lots fill up quickly, but there's always parking at the South Garage. Just park in the South Garage."

The South Garage? I wonder if she would've given me the same answer if I was on crutches. You cannot expect people to walk between a quarter- to a half-mile, through ice and cold, with heavy books bearing down on their spine.

Parking at CSU has always been challenging, but this foolish decision has made it like a game of musical chairs. Instead of having enough chairs for the players, there are none.

This chaos results in many students and faculty being late to class. Even worse, it makes our campus a very dangerous place. Many students I talked with said it took them anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes to find a space, or even get into a garage.

One student told me how people rush to cut in front of the line of cars waiting to get into garages. People who can't find a parking space for that long are obviously not going to drive as safely as normal.

It will not surprise me when a tardy Viking who is frantically circling to find a parking space hits a pedestrian.

Another student complained of missing her class because by the time she found parking she was already half an hour late and since there were guest speakers it would have been too disruptive to go to class. Making students suffer academically for money? That doesn't sound like engaged learning.

CSU is known as a commuter school, so it only makes sense that after paying $205.25 for a parking pass (just for one semester!), a commuter should be able to park close to their classes, and park easily. CSU will argue that there is parking available if you come early enough, but why should a student who has an afternoon class have to come to school eight hours early?

Solutions? If CSU refuses to rebuild the two precious lots they destroyed, they should, at the very least, have a reasonably close lot off campus with a shuttle bus that arrives every few minutes.

Students don't want to pay $205.25 for lousy parking. They are spread pretty thin already, but this act of greed is ridiculous. It's no wonder there's bulletproof glass in front of the cashiers in the parking office, they must've expected some people to be angry.