Author: Alexander LaRose
A student parking permit at USC costs $414 and comes with a host of restrictions in terms of where one can park. UCLA charges $237 per quarter for a permit with the same privileges as its USC equivalent. Occidental offers free permits that are valid in almost any parking space on campus. While some may question whether the services Occidental provides are commensurate with its hefty tuition, free parking is undoubtedly one of the best perks that students receive. Free parking provides numerous benefits to students both in terms of convenience and overall quality of life, for which the school should get more credit. As other schools increase parking fees, it is admirable that Occidental has not followed suit, and it would be remiss if it were to change its policy in the near future.
Los Angeles lacks a strong public transportation infrastructure, which makes having a car on campus that much more appealing. The Metro offers an impressive series of bus routes, but many of them go through rough neighborhoods and take circuitous routes that significantly increase transit times. Light rail systems like Boston’s T or San Francisco’s BART, would present a viable alternative to buses and cars, but L.A. lacks a rail system of equivalent caliber. Without practical options for public transit and with a tremendous amount of sprawl, having a car is the best way to meet one’s transportation needs in Los Angeles, and Occidental’s parking policy makes this feasible for students.
For Occidental students, cars are not only a matter of convenience, but they also enhance the college experience by enabling exploration of LA. Cars make running errands around Eagle Rock and Pasadena less time- consuming and enable students to maximize their free time, allowing them to take care of necessary tasks while still attending to their studies. Aside from increasing student productivity, cars provide an opportunity to explore Los Angeles in a comfortable and safe manner. Checking out a concert in Hollywood on a Saturday night is far more appealing when one does not have to worry about riding a bus home at 1:00 in the morning through questionable neighborhoods. Cars can help students make the most out of their education, and this is part of Occidental’s hidden value.
Socially, cars serve a role in bringing students together who might not otherwise become friends. During the first days of each school year, people generally determine who of their classmates has a car and arrange to do errands or go exploring together. These groups of three or four people can often lead to long-lasting friendships even though they are born out of necessity.
As the student body grows, free parking becomes more of a necessity for the increasing number of students who have to live off campus and commute. Although there is a fair amount of off-campus housing within walking distance, many students do not live within this walking distance. Ample parking exists around campus, but if students were to begin utilizing street parking more heavily to avoid paying a parking fee, it would likely frustrate local residents who would then face a shortage of parking themselves. From a security perspective, it is best to have students parking on campus than on the streets where they and their vehicles are subject to greater risk.
Cars can serve as an important refuge for students who are far from home and need somewhere to go sit, relax and find alone time when they have had enough of their roommates. With the substantial increase in the number of triple rooms on campus, this refuge aspect becomes a huge benefit of having a car.
Occidental’s location makes having a car an attractive proposition for several reasons. There is an abundance of parking on campus, which results from the school’s relatively suburban location compared to UCLA or USC, which are in far less residential areas. As a consequence of this, many attractions and services are farther from campus than at the aforementioned institutions. Charging for parking ultimately reduces the number of cars parked at a location, and more urban schools have to resort to this measure due to limited infrastructure — but, fortunately, Occidental does not. To the administration’s credit, it has not chosen to charge for parking as part of a revenue boosting campaign, as there would be no other reason to do so.
Occidental students receive a significant financial benefit as a result of the school’s liberal parking policy that ultimately improves their undergraduate experiences. This policy seldom receives the positive attention that it deserves and should not be taken for granted.
Alexander LaRose is a junior economics major. He can be reached at larose@oxy.edu
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