The impending price increase for parking permits seem completely unnecessary since Parking Services has done nothing to improve the parking situation on campus.

I’m a commuter so I have to buy a parking pass, and I don’t mind walking once I’m on campus, but I spend more time driving from lot to lot trying to find a parking space than I do actually driving from my house to campus.

I paid $250 at the beginning of the fall semester for a year-long universal C lot pass and an additional sticker that would allow me to park in the visitor lot in front of the M.A.C. Center. Yet four out of the five parking tickets I’ve gotten during my three years at Kent State have been from this school year.

Three of the four tickets I’ve gotten this school year have been from this semester alone. I was parked in the C-Verder lot when I got one of my tickets. I parked at the end of one of the middle rows of cars, but I didn’t realize it wasn’t a parking space because the lots hadn’t been plowed. I got a ticket anyway for not parking in a parking space.

I got another ticket for parking at a meter that was out of order. I couldn’t call parking services to notify them because my phone was broken. I did get both of those voided, but I don’t think I should have gotten them in the first place.

My most recent ticket I got because I parked in the lot right in front of the building I needed to be in because the C lots already had cars parked on the outer edges of the lots, and they were getting ticketed for not parking in parking spots. So I figured, “I’m going to get a ticket anyway, might as well park close to my class.”

It’s getting to the point where I don’t care about following the rules anymore because I’m still getting ticketed.

These price increases are supposed to cover lot plowing and maintenance, but after seeing the job Parking Services has done so far, I’ll just say I’m grateful it’s my last year at Kent State.

Lane Davis is a senior psychology and justice studies major and guest columnist for the Daily Kent Stater.