Students Pay to Walk

As a transfer student here at Framingham State University, I have been very pleased with the school as a whole. One minor issue I have is related to students parking on campus. I find it ridiculous that we have to pay $500 extra per year if we want to keep our car on campus. Actually, I wouldn’t even consider the student parking lot part of the campus. It is over a mile away from Framingham’s main campus and you have the choice to either take a shuttle back or walk. The issue with the shuttle is that it only comes at certain times and runs until about midnight. Winter is creeping up on us and no one wants to walk in the cold weather. I am not familiar with Framingham’s area, but in my opinion no matter where you walk at night can be dangerous. I personally chose not to have my car on campus this year which has its ups and downs. Although I’ll be saving money on gas, it is difficult for my parents to drive an hour to bring me to and from school when needed. I’ve also talked to a few of my friends who attend other schools and they have agreed that $500 for a parking lot is extreme. Most of them are paying $100 at the most. Especially now a days where not many families have $500 in their pockets to just drop instantly. Most of FSU’s staff have been college students themselves and they know the struggle we have with money. I think it would be best if Framingham made a decision to at least lower the cost of parking and possibly even create a new student lot closer to campus.