Dixie State University officials recognize that parking is tight in some parking lots, but know there is still enough parking at DSU for all students and faculty and staff.
There are 2,160 allotted parking spaces for students, said Bill Hughes, athletics accountant and parking cashier. About 3,000 permits have already been sold to students.
There is not a limit to how many parking permits can be sold because not all students are at the school at the same time, he said. Students shouldn’t worry about parking permits being sold out, but rather about being sure to get a permit.
Not all students are gung-ho about not being able to easily find a parking spot in the parking lot of their choice.
“There’s not enough parking,” said Kylee Walker, a junior business major from St. George. “If I leave after my 7:30 class in the morning I won’t be able to park when I get back unless I park on the street.”
There are 325 spaces specifically reserved for faculty and staff in addition to the 2,160 student parking spaces, Hughes said. Faculty and staff members have already purchased more than 1,000 permits.
There aren’t any new plans for faculty/staff parking, said Paul Morris, administrative services vice president. We don’t want to take parking away from students for faculty and staff.
There is a parking garage on the master plan, Morris said. That’ll be built where the tennis courts are currently.
Morris doesn’t anticipate that a parking garage will be needed for at least five more years.
About 50 new stalls were added on 400 South this year to provide more parking for students, Morris said.
Even with the amount of permits sold being so much higher than available parking spaces, there are still parking lots on campus where students and staff can find a place to park, said Dexter Humphreys a senior communication major from Panguitch.
“When there aren’t any desirable parking spaces, I know that there will be empty spots in the baseball/softball field parking lot and the new spaces on 400 South,” Humphreys said.
Most parking spaces on campus require a parking permit, but students and faculty and staff can park legally without a permit on 700 East and 1000 East, Hughes said. Parking in these spaces means they will have to walk further, but that is their choice.
According to the Dixie State University Parking Department, parking permits can be purchased in Burns Arena or online. If students and faculty and staff do not purchase a permit and display it in their vehicle prior to parking in spaces that require a permit, they will be cited and charged a fee.
“In the long run it is cheaper to buy a parking permit than pay a $30 parking ticket every time you get caught,” Hughes said.
According to the DSU Parking Department, permits cost $30 for both students and staff. Replacement permits (if a window is broken or new car is bought during the year, etc.) can be purchased for $5.
“We aren’t trying to be financially difficult for students,” Morris said.
In comparison to other universities, $30 is a reasonable price for a parking permit, especially considering the proximity of parking spaces to the buildings, Morris said.
DSU sells the parking permits at about cost, Security Director Don Reid said. The sell of permits is not bringing in money. In fact other institutions find DSU’s parking permit price laughable because of how inexpensive it is.
There is a lenience period where citations will not be given, Reid said. This period of time gives students and faculty/staff a chance to purchase their permits and begin displaying them.
Officers began issuing citations on Monday, Reid said. If students do receive a citation, they no longer go to the security building to take care of it. A different department now handles parking, so they will need to go online to take care of citations.
Permits are not required for events that happen outside of class time (weekends and evenings), Reid said. The community is welcome to attend events at DSU, including ball games, concerts, theater performances, etc., and park in lots that would normally require a permit. Outside of regular class time, which ends at about two or three in the afternoon, citations will not be given for not having a permit.