My name is Meg Rogers. I am a freshman here at Mesa State, and I commute. Ms. Huskey, after having to park in the incredibly muddy parking lots last semester, I understand your frustration with not being able to access the new parking garage, but I also would like to point a few things out.
I did not pay $50 for my commuter parking pass, I paid $100. Having paid more than campus residents for my parking pass I think it is fair that commuters are allowed to use the nicer parking facilities. I will, however, say that of the two levels that are specifically for Pay to Park users, I have only seen 15-20 parking spaces in use and I am in the parking garage several times a day. Of the one and a half levels that are for commuter parking, most if not all of the parking spaces are filled for a majority of the day. I do understand your frustration, but I feel a better solution would be to remove a level of the Pay to Park parking spaces and allow residents to use that level.
Until this parking garage was built, I felt as though Mesa State catered their parking more towards residents, and commuters who paid for parking passes would have to park in the surrounding neighborhoods. It is not only residents who are inconvenienced by the lack of parking here.
I really appreciate your article, but in the future it would be nice to see that you spoke to commuters, not just residents, about the issue as well.
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Meg Rogers