Parking to cost $100 next fall

Author: Dana Walters

On April 14, Dean of the College Gus Jordan sent out a campus-wide e-mail informing students that they would have to pay a $50 parking fee per semester next academic year. This new fee will affect on-campus residents as well as commuters and Language School students, who will be charged $25 for the summer.

Talks about the carbon neutrality project here on campus spurred the proposal of a parking fee.

"However," Jordan wrote, "as the economy declined, we decided to implement the fees as quickly as possible to help support other important initiatives on campus (improving access to MiddRides and Zipcars) and to relieve some financial pressures (plowing and maintaining parking lots)."

The extra money amassed from the tax will go to support campus-wide transportation such as shuttle bus services. The administration hopes to reduce the number of students who find it necessary to drive on campus or bring a car to school with them. The e-mail explained that the ultimate goal was a "more pedestrian-friendly environment."

Jordan admitted that these changes may not be as fruitful in the immediate future as they desire.

"Although we do not expect the number of registered cars to drop significantly next year," he wrote in the e-mail. "We expect that this policy, when combined with other initiatives, will contribute in a small way to Middlebury's goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2016."

While many campus-wide emails end up at the bottom of the virtual trash bin on student computers, this one received immediate attention for the effect it would have upon student bank accounts in the current economic climate. Amanda Lowe '11, who currently has a car at school, explained that it might not affect her when she is abroad next year, but that she is still "somewhat peeved" about having to pay the fee when she returns. When asked if she thinks the tax will actually reduce the number of people bringing cars to school, she said, "The fee isn't so large as to be quite an effective deterrent. It's really not a big deal. Maybe if it were $100 a semester."

The administration did not put the new parking policy into effect without considering students.

"Students were active participants in the original idea of charging for student autos on campus," said Jordan. "Most students also realize that the vast majority of colleges and universities already charge such fees."

In this light, the new policy may not seem that particularly noteworthy, but the announcement has received mixed reactions from from students.

"Some students understandably worry that the College will 'nickel and dime them to death,' explained Jordan. "Many others have expressed the opinion that it makes sense to charge students a small fee to help cover the College's costs of supporting student cars on campus, and many students desire improvements in alternative options for transportation on campus and around the community."

One student who does not have a car on campus, Sean Dennison '11, expressed skepticism about the parking regulations.

"I think probably in the current economic situation