Parking at ULM is not efficient at all. Most students that live on campus choose not to move their car for hours or days in fear of not having a place to park when they come back.

ULM has only provided one three-story car garage and some parking spaces around campus for commuters. 

Because of the lack of parking, commuters always end up overflowing to parking areas designated for residents.

According to the ULM website, there are 8,489 students at ULM. Around 6,000 of them attend school in-person while 2,000 are online. 

There are only about 6,000 parking slots on campus. 

So when faculty, staff and visitors are added to the mix, that leaves even fewer spots accessible to students.

When students park in incorrect areas or invalid parking spaces because they could not find a parking spot before class, they receive a $50-$150 parking ticket based on where they parked.

College tuition is already costly enough. 

Having to pay more for a parking ticket because you couldn’t find a valid parking space can make a student’s life more stressful.

Apparently, ULM is not the only university with this problem.  Other college students share this same experience.

In a poll at Mt. San Antonio College, 68% of students said it takes up to 15 minutes to find a parking spot, while 32% said it takes them up to 30 minutes on any given day.

The University Police Department’s website states, “The university does not guarantee a parking space will be available at any time.” 

This is not just a commuter problem. This is a resident problem as well.

Some of us live here, and we still struggle to find parking.

Students shouldn’t be forced to pay a $100 vehicle registration fee when there is no guarantee that you’ll find a parking spot when needed.

There should be another two or three-story garage built near the buildings where classes are held. 

If that’s not possible, students should be charged less for their vehicle registration fee since there are not enough spaces to accommodate everyone.