New permits will be sold every Wednesday throughout semester

This may be J.D. River’s first week at Kent State, but he already has a problem with parking.

“I think it is unfair to be relegated to a parking space way off campus, especially when there are so many open spaces next to my dorm hall,” said J.D. River, freshman political science major.

But freshmen aren’t the only ones searching for spots and dealing with tickets; upperclassmen are as well. Relief may be on the way for some.

Starting Sept. 7, available permits will be put up for sale, and more spaces can be purchased by students, said Larry Emling, assistant manager of Parking Services. The list of spaces will be updated every Wednesday, allowing for more permits to be sold.

Upperclassmen will again have priority over any underclassmen, Emling said.

Approximately 12,000 parking spaces can be found in and around campus, according to Parking Services’ Web site, and 11,000 parking spaces were sold as of last Friday.

“Most of the prime lots are sold out,” Emling said. “So upperclassmen were beat to the punch.”

Procrastination seems to be the only explanation for why so many have to park in a less than desirable area, he said, as spaces were available months in advance.

Emling said prime permits, such as C permits, will be sold for $140 a year. Summit East spots will sell for $100 a year and Stadium permits will cost $60.

Spending extra money for a close spot will be well worth the cost, Emling said.

“People are going to make some kind of choice,” he said.

Contact news correspondent Zach Wilson at [email protected].