By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Parking areas near academic and residential buildings at Fort Hays State University are becoming increasingly crowded, prompting mixed reactions from students.
Scott Cason, FHSU's chief communications officer, said the university lost parking spaces because of ongoing construction, with more expected.
"We did lose parking spaces close to Forsyth Library and won't have those back until the completion of the renovation project in May 2026," Cason said.
According to the data Cason provided, 3,413 parking spaces are available in Zone 1 and Zone 2, while on-campus student enrollment is 3,745 this year.
A total of 4,700 parking tickets were issued between August 2023 and May 2024.
Zone 1 (green) includes the Memorial Union, Rarick Hall, Tomanek Hall, the Center for Applied Technology, the Forsyth Library and Stroup Hall.
Zone 2 (yellow) primarily includes residential buildings such as Custer Hall, McMindes Hall, Tiger Place, Victor E. Vilage and Wooster apartments.
Cason said on-campus enrollment in 2024 has increased compared to 2022 and 2023 but is still 750 students lower than in the fall of 2019.
Zone 1 parking slightly declined between 2017 and 2022 to 807, further decreasing to 775 in 2024. Zone 2 has remained steady at 2,638 spaces since 2017.
There are 141 accessible parking spaces, 48 cycle parking spaces and 557 staff parking spaces, which have remained consistent in recent years.
Visitor parking has slightly decreased to 58 spaces, down from 64 in 2020 and 2021. Before those years, the number of visitor parking spaces was below 64.
Cason said the Stroup Hall parking lot consistently has available spaces, but reductions may occur in that area next year.
"Due to construction, we will likely lose some parking in the Stroup lot by next fall," he said.
FHSU student Tarek Kolesch lives on campus and said parking is worse this year than last because of construction, but he still finds it tolerable.
"There's been less parking, but I really don't think it has been that bad," he said. "It depends on the time."
Cason said construction-related equipment can be moved, but it is unnecessary.
"We can move items currently being held in parking areas around construction sites but have not observed a need to do this thus far," he said.
FHSU student August Bridges, who lives off-campus, prefers walking to class and rarely drives to campus due to parking challenges.
"[When] we get into the busier part of the week or day, it might get harder to find a parking spot... seven times out of 10, you can find a spot," Bridges said.
Most of Bridges' classes are in the Center for Applied Technology building and sometimes parks nearby at the Stroup Hall lot.
FHSU student Ryan Funai said his experience with parking has been manageable, with some exceptions, whether near residential or academic buildings.
He said parking on North Campus Drive was difficult last semester, often requiring him to park farther away from his class in Rarick Hall.
"All the parking there is usually pretty awful, especially because it's all parallel parking," he said.
FHSU students Karla Segoviano and Kynlee Flavin live on campus and said there is a shortage of parking spaces near McMindes Hall, a residential building.
"It's terrible. It's very cramped, and I feel like we could use more parking spaces," Seovianno said.
Segoviano said she works late, and when she returns to her dorm, she often has to park one to two blocks away.
"It's not easy to carry all your groceries," Flavin said. "There are 15-minute parking spots, but those are taken too. It's just not ideal at all."
Segoviano and Flavin said finding parking spots is usually tricky on weekdays, while weekends are more leisurely since most students leave campus.
Segoviano said she hopes for more leniency in ticketing, considering the parking difficulties on campus and the high ticket costs.
"I got a $45 ticket... I'm a broke college student trying to get through college. If they could lower that price, that'd be great," she said.
Most violations result in fines of $15 or $45, with a $75 fine for parking too close to a fire hydrant and a $100 fine for unauthorized parking in a handicap-accessible space.
The appeal process requires submitting a form and may include appearing before the University Parking Committee, which consists of students, faculty and staff.
If fines are not paid on time, a $25 late fee is charged. Appeals must be filed within 14 days, and the violation payment will be refunded if approved.
Payments can be made at Student Fiscal Services in Picken Hall, Room 317, or through student Workday accounts.
Parking permits are required for all vehicles parked on campus and must be displayed appropriately. Faculty, staff and students must also register their vehicles each academic year.
Commuter students are eligible for Zone 1 or Zone 2 parking permits, while students residing in residence halls are limited to Zone 2 permits only.
Zone 1 permits cost $25, while Zone 2 permits are $13. You can find more information on permits and parking here.