This will be my 5th year attending MSU, and every year it seems that Parking & Transportation Services are getting worse and worse. Let’s start from the begining.
My freshman year was the last year that freshman would be allowed to have cars on campus. The next year they banned freshman from the lots and made them park in the NJTransit deck. Even though I had freshman credits, they sold me a parking permit through their online system. Though I was happy with this, it would still be considered an error on their part.
My third year was the first year they banned sophmores as well. Again they sold me a surface permit, but it was for the wrong lot. When I contacted them on the phone they said they could change it in the office, but when I brought it in they actually took it back and told me to expect a refund. That’s right, if I had kept the permit for the lot on the other side of campus I wouldn’t have had to pay another $125 for one semester of NJTransit. They told me that they sold incorrect permits and could only rectify this when people came into their office under false pretenses, and confiscate their illegal passes.
My 4th year was ok until I tried to park on campus during winter break. While I had residence in The Village, I was commuting from home and working at IT. At lunch on my first day, I returned to my car to find a $40 parking ticket. That’s right, I paid the same parking fee as the commuter students, only to have access to fewer lots, even when campus is litterally empty. So I had to park further away. I was still mad but I got to work and I got paid so no big deal.
This year might just be the worst yet. This is a compound of ResLife’s bullshit along with parking services. Because I have lived on campus for 4 years, reslife is forcing me to live in the hotels. I’ve since come to terms with that. And honestly, im looking for an appartment with a few friends so whatever. But, I assumed that because I had my car, I wouldn’t have to deal with the stupid shuttle. I was wrong. As a hotel resident, I can’t apply for a surface permit, and as a senior I can’t apply for a NJTransit permit. WTF?!?
I know they want cars off of the surface lots and off campus but this is ridiculous. But with my job early in the morning and my newspaper responsibilities taking me into the evening, there is no way I could deal within the restraints of MSU’s limited shuttle to the hotels.
And from what I hear, the EPark system also reckognizes first year grad students as freshman undergrads. And good luck calling their office. From what I’ve seen, both as a customer and an IT tech, the clerks at the parking office are content to get paid just for sitting on their ass. I would get fired before I could think about it if I pulled that shit at IT. Even going in to buy a permit, putting money in their pockets, gets a groan and a sigh because they have to get out of their office chair.
I believe that the EPark system was selling permits for a total of 30 minutes before it crashed. I believe that’s a new record. Seriously, with all the money they get for over priced permits and rediculous parking fines, you would think they could afford a system that could hold up to a campus of 16,000 trying to buy permits. Not even printing them out, just confirming them and storing them in a database.
When people talk about the shitty parking here on campus, it’s not just the lack of space. It’s due to the lack of a brain power at the Parking office. Seriosuly, WTF is going on down there???
