A marking shows where gates are planned to be constructed for the S-40 platinum parking for seniors this spring near McDowell Hall. DAVID ANTHONY RANUCCI | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: Jason Hall

Kent State tuition: $4,215 a semester. S-40 “platinum” parking permit: $130 a semester. A guaranteed parking spot: Priceless.

Next spring, residence hall seniors can buy a parking permit that will ensure them a spot in the S-37 lot by McDowell Hall.

Not sure the spots are guaranteed? Tom Clapper, senior assistant to the vice president of administration, promises the lot will be gated.

“For an additional price, residence hall seniors are promised a spot in that lot,” he said. “Gate controlled access will guarantee that.”

Seniors can buy the S-40 “platinum” permit for $130 a semester, which is $50 more than S permits.

Students who have already purchased a S permit for the spring can pay the additional price to exchange their permits. There are only 125 permits available.

“It’s on a first-come, first-served basis,” Clapper said.

All permits, including the S-40 platinum permit, will go on sale for the spring semester at the end of November.

Parking Services manager Larry Emling said the additional fee will pay for the project.

“The money will be used for the purchase of gate equipment, installation of the island between the entry and exit gates as well as the electrical wiring going to both,” Emling said.

“This idea was initiated to acknowledge seniors for their commitment to staying in the residence halls with priority parking.”

In addition to the S-40 platinum permit, “proximity” cards, or swipe cards, will be issued to students to use the gated lot.

Emling said the proximity cards are required at both entry and exit.

“Students will have to wave their proximity cards across a gate reader in order to access the lot,” he said.

Within the next couple weeks, residence hall seniors will be given information by e-mail notifying them they are eligible for the S-40 platinum permit.

The success of this project will determine whether similar opportunities will be available to other students in the future.

“This is a good idea as a test project to see what is the demand? Will students like it? And are they willing to pay more for it,” Emling said. “If we see that the answers to those questions are ‘yes,’ then we are willing to expand and explore more options.”

For information about all permit sales, visit http://www.kent.edu/parking.

Contact transportation reporter Erica Weisburn at [email protected].