The dreaded parking spot. It seems to be one of biggest struggles every college student faces. Colorado Mesa University is no different.

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The number of parking lots at CMU are continuing to increase around campus as the years progress. However, so does the student population – and it seems the school is having a hard time keeping up. Campus residents have a tough time finding parking close to their dorms and commuters are running low on parking as well.

For the last calendar year the former Albertsons grocery store across 12th Street from the east side of campus has sat vacant. CMU students have utilized that abandoned parking lot as a free parking since it is only a block from the school. Since the on-campus dorm parking lots are constantly filled campus residents are practically forced to park in the abandoned lot as well.

So what’s the problem? Free parking, right?

The problem is exactly that. Students are being able to abuse the free parking spot while residents and other commuters have to pay for $135 parking permits.

I have lived on campus for three years now and I have bought and used a resident parking permit every single year. I keep buying parking passes due to the fact that it is uncertain when the Albertsons parking lot will be purchased and students will be ticketed for parking there without proper passes.

But who should purchase the lot? CMU, of course. It would be wise for the school to break ground on a new parking garage where commuters and residents can park and not have to worry about finding a spot every single day.

The school has added more lots on the east side of campus for residents by tearing down a couple houses and clearing some land out, yet those lots fill faster than they did before and students are forced to park at Albertsons anyway – even though they have a permit.

For students, it can feel as if they are wasting $135 when they are forced to park in Albertsons because the lots they paid to use are always at full capacity.

So what would happen if residents stopped buying resident parking passes in order to park for free at Albertsons? The lot would always be full, of course. Therefore, students would be stuck without any other option.

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The resident lots will always be full no matter what the case is. Enough students live on campus to ensure every spot is full for most of the day. The only solution seems to be adding another parking garage, and what better place to do that than the Albertsons across the street?