Being a student at Auburn University is very rewarding, pending your long, hard 4 years of strenuous studying. However, there is a huge problem that commuter-students face every hour of every school day - students that have C-zone parking passes are constantly unable to find a parking spot on campus, whether it be 2 minutes away from their class or 2 miles away from campus.

C-Zone passes for the 2017-2018 year at Auburn University are $80. Some lucky students are chosen by a random drawing (by Auburn University Parking Services) to receive PC-Parking, or "Preferred Commuter" parking. These parking lots are a little closer to campus, but they fill up just as quickly as regular C-Zone parking spots on the outskirts of campus. A lot of students have classes that are in the morning versus in the afternoon. PC spots come available to C-Zone students at 2:30 pm, which can be a godsend if students have afternoon classes. However, PC students encounter the same issues as C-Zone students and are sometimes forced to park in C-Zone when they cannot find a spot they paid $180 for in the random drawing. 

There are C-zone spots behind The Hill Dorms, across the street from the President's Mansion, and even a gravel lot across from the AU Medical Clinic. These are only a few of the C-Zone parking spaces that fill up (by the latest) at 7:30 am each school day. The last resort for a commuter student is the C-Zone area located by the Intramural Fields in which students must take the Park and Ride transit to get to school on time, OR the lot where the RVs park for game day across from the new Health Sciences sector (students run the risk of being blocked in by another student desperate for a spot there). Personally, I utilize two main modes of transportation every day to get to class: drive my car to park in C-Zone to then ride the Park and Ride transit to take me to campus.

This petition is NOTHING against Tiger Transit and its services, as they are VERY much appreciated as they help commuter students who are unable to find a decent spot that hinders them from walking. 

This would be understandable if each parking pass sold would be a guaranteed spot for each student that purchased the parking pass. However, that is not the case. In my personal experience (along with other students), I find myself arriving to campus 45 minutes - 1 hour early to look for a parking spot - which should be more than enough time to find a spot and get to class early. Sometimes, I can't even find a spot OR I do find a spot that seems like it is miles away from campus, which has caused me to be late for my class where my grade is dependent on being on time.

All that I, along with the majority of commuter students at Auburn University, ask is that compensation be made to those students who paid $80 for a C-zone spot that is nonexistent OR for action to be taken to create a solution for these C-Zone students that do not have a spot due to the overselling of student parking passes. I, along with the students that share this opinion, would like to see a change in place with regard to parking on campus with respect to C-Zone parking. This issue cannot be put on the back burner any longer, and it is now time to implement some changes as our university and the city of Auburn continues to grow. My supporters and I are open to ANY solutions that can somehow alleviate this problem - whether that be lowering the cost of the C-Zone parking spots to a reasonable price that implies that a parking spot is NOT guaranteed, OR have plans be quickly implemented to perhaps allow for an area for C-Zone students overflow.

It would be much appreciated if some thought could possibly go into building a parking deck specifically for C-zone students to compensate for the overselling of the C-zone passes. At least Auburn University students will have a higher chance of a guaranteed spot on campus, regardless of the location of the deck.

Someone reached out to me on Facebook Messenger and let me know that plans ARE in place to correct these parking issues, but it is my understanding that these plans are long-term. The purpose of this petition is to bring this problem to fruition, as it is a REAL issue that commuter students face every day. 

Thank you so much for your consideration.

Link to Eagle Eye TV's story on our campaign: http://www.eagleeyeauburn.com/article/2017/09/petition-seeks-to-find-answers-for-student-parking