Parking Panic

Finding parking within the University of Texas at El Paso’s lots and garages has been described as almost impossible by many students and faculty. It usually is a struggle for many during the first weeks of the semester, but with a student body of upwards of 25,000, the highest admission rate for the university, the problem escalated and has lasted more than the usual time.

“Many of my morning professors have allowed us about ten to fifteen minutes to be late to class without being counted tardy or absent because they know how much we struggle to find parking”, said Koty Vasquez, a junior at the university. “Sometimes they are even late by ten or fifteen minutes. It’s everyone for themselves.”

The Student Government Association made a statement on their Facebook page, after meeting with UTEP’s Office of Parking and Transportation Services on September 1st, where they said it was allowed for students who had a parking permit to park in adjacent lots for the time being.

UTEP oversold the Sun Bowl parking garage permits by 3,850 spots, making it hard for students to find parking at the most expensive location. Due to this, later in the semester, after the first SGA meeting with the Office of Parking and Transportation, the students with these permits were allowed to trade their permits for a spot at a remote or perimeter lot as well as a prorated refund.

“The first week was intense. Finding parking in the Sun Bowl garage was impossible. I was super mad because I paid a lot of money, almost as much as paying for another course, just so I couldn’t find parking and be so late that I only had half an hour left of class”, said Isabel del Toro, a senior at UTEP. “Good thing we only reviewed the syllabus and I didn’t miss an important lecture.”

As stated in the Parking Lots and Signage section of UTEP’s Parking and Transportation Services website, “All parking lots show signs indicating the type of permits allowed and hours of restriction. Most restrictions are in effect weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. although some areas are Reserved at All Times", which makes it hard for students to find empty spaces on campus. It also states that posted signs, whether permanent or temporary, must be obeyed at all times and take precedence over painted curbs, pavement markings, and designations shown on any UTEP map.

In turn, students are forced to carpool, find rides to get dropped off and picked up, or get there 45 minutes to an hour earlier than when their classes start to try and find a parking spot in their designated lot, and have enough time to scour for a space in front of the houses upwards of Mesa St. where no shuttles are offered to pick up students.

With seven types of permits at multiple price ranges and locations, UTEP is still left dealing with disappointed students wondering if they will get cited because they parked in an unassigned lot or garage to get to class on time and make the most of the money they spent on permits.

Parking and Transportation Services can be reached at (915)747-6161 and parking.utep.edu