By Daniel Colton
Limited student parking has been a complaint of BYU students for years, but the cost of on-campus parking is low compared with other universities.
According to a study done by Texas Christian University Police Sgt. JC Drake, BYU charges the least amount for parking permits.
The study included 15 private colleges and universities across the United States.
BYU charges between $15 and $40 for student parking permits. Some universities like American University and Cornell charge up to $536 for student parking permits. According to the study, the average price for a student parking permit is $148.
BYU student Cynthia Ericksen, 19, a senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., majoring in marriage, family and human development said she feels the prices for parking permits are fair.
'I don''t think it is that much money compared to other universities,' Ericksen said.
She said she wouldn''t even mind if BYU charged more for parking if they used that money to build more parking structures.
'We really don''t have a lot of parking because sometimes you can''t even find a parking spot,' Ericksen said.
More parking structures at BYU isn''t likely though, said University Police Lt. Aaron Rhoades, who works in the traffic office.
'We have no more land,' Lt. Rhoades said. 'Parking structures are extremely expensive.'
He said the parking lot by Marriott Center and the one by the football field still have plenty of parking available.
Rhoades said parking permits have been kept at a reasonable price because the university has not felt the need to increase the price.
In the future, though, prices may increase, he said.
The money obtained from parking permits goes to the general fund of the university, Rhoades said. It is used for painting, installing signs, and repaving.
The University of Utah charges students between $60 and $120 for parking permits, according to the parking Web site of the University of Utah.
BYU student Taylor Stilovich, 21, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, said although parking may be more expensive at other universities, students can park closer to campus than they can at BYU. He has friends who attend universities in Texas who pay $100 for parking permits, but are close to campus.
'You are getting what you pay for,' Stilovich said.
Faculty parking permits are free at BYU. According to the study done by Sgt. Drake, Baylor and Princeton were the only other universities in the study with free faculty parking permits.
Lt. Rhoades said the free parking is part of the faculty''s benefit package.