The University of Mississippi Department of Parking and Transportation has opened a new parking lot and expanded Oxford-University Transit (OUT) shuttle services to alleviate parking problems faced by students this semester.
The department announced via email to UM students on Wednesday, Aug. 27 that it would open the Residential Overflow South parking lot at the South Campus Recreation Center for all commuter parking permit holders.
The university’s commuter parking permits come in two types: Commuter Red and Commuter Blue. Commuter Red lots are located farther from the center of campus, while Commuter Blue lots are closer to the center. Both permits will be allowed to use the overflow lot, the announcement indicated.
Commuter Blue permits, which were sold for $300 each at a rate of 1.7 permits for every parking space available, were sold out, according to the Department of Parking and Transportation.
“This is to ensure proper utilization of lots, and it is common practice in the parking industry for universities,” UM Parking Operations Manager Cassidy Savage said. “If we sold these (at a rate of one permit per every space), there would be many instances each day where these spaces would be empty and not be properly utilized, which is not the goal we want for our campus when preferred parking areas are not in abundance.”
An unlimited number of Commuter Red permits are available to students, according to Savage. They cost $100.
“We have never filled every space within every Commuter Red lot,” Savage said. “There will always be Commuter Red spaces available. This is why the best practice this year would be to get accustomed to parking in less familiar Commuter Red lots, making it work for you, and stop competing against others for the one preferred (Commuter Red) lot at the JAC (Jackson Avenue Center).”
The JAC lot is frequently full.
“It’s … difficult locating parking at JAC due to most spots already being taken,” Antone Ellison, a sophomore business major from Birmingham, Ala., and Commuter Red parking permit holder, said. “I usually get there at 7:30 a.m. for my 8 a.m. (class), yet I’ll circle the lot for at least 10 minutes before I find a spot.”
Experiences like Ellison’s are driving the Department of Parking and Transportation’s decision to open additional parking.
“The JAC is filling up now. We have all experienced this with the growing number of students on campus, and we must adjust,” Savage said. “Students with a Commuter Red permit should utilize other lots within their zone, such as the South Lot or the lot at South Campus Recreation (Center), both of which have dedicated bus service.”
Savage also noted that a more permanent solution is in the works, but she did not offer details.
“This is a challenge that is also being addressed by leadership as an area needing some amendment or solution,” Savage said.
The Department of Parking and Transportation is working with the Associated Student Body to make changes to the OUT shuttle system, according to Savage’s statement to The Daily Mississippian.
“We have been working with ASB very closely, and one of the solutions we’ve arrived at, which is now in the works, is another on-demand option to help students get to their residence,” Savage said.
The Department of Parking and Transportation announced on Monday that it opened a supplemental campus shuttle service to “support our campus community with transportation options in addition to Oxford-University Transit system current routes.”
The initial routes offered by the new service include the Gertrude C. Ford Center to the Lyceum, a trip around Sorority Loop and the South Oxford Campus on-demand.
The Department of Parking and Transportation has multiple bus routes that transport commuter students without a parking permit to campus. While some bus routes directly pick up students from a location near off-campus apartments, other routes require students to commute to a specific location to catch the bus.
The Department of Parking and Transportation works with OUT to coordinate a variety of bus routes in order to transport students and community members around campus and throughout Oxford.
Many of the buses take commuter students from their pick-up locations to the drop-off location at Kennon Observatory, and from there students are able to walk to their classes.
Sophia Sawser, a sophomore economics, international studies and Spanish major from Würzburg, Germany, has expressed grievances relating to OUT, including its availability and operating hours.
Sawser relies on the Bronze route, which takes her from U Club Townhomes to the bus stop at Kennon Observatory.
“In the morning, it’s typically reliable, but sometimes the Bronze line is not running during the times it is supposed to be in the afternoon, making it frustrating for my friends and I,” Sawser said.
Sawser is also a student worker on campus and leaves campus at 9:40 p.m., while her bus no longer runs after 7:15 p.m.
“It’s been a severe challenge to navigate,” Sawser said.
Because of her transportation struggles, Sawser opted out of purchasing a student parking permit.
“I opted out of purchasing a student parking pass because I figured the traffic on and surrounding campus would make driving to campus more time consuming,” Sawser said. “I also know that many (student parking permits) are assigned parking lots rather far from campus and still have to take the bus to class from there.”
Sawser’s case is unique, according to Savage.
“We hear very rarely about an individual student with on-campus student employment whose schedule conflicts with the timing of the bus system,” Savage said. “However, if a student has a unique situation, they should reach out to the parking and transportation department for further discussion.”
Savage emphasized that the Department of Parking and Transportation’s work is often changing and works to meet the needs of students.
“We are constantly meeting with our campus constituents and student organizations to address parking and transportation concerns,” Savage said. “We are being proactive, and while these changes will not be seen overnight, and some will take a longer time to become established, we will continue to provide various modes of transportation while we await completion of our larger projects on campus.”
