The parking lot located behind Irvington House and in front of Fairbanks. Photo by Adam Cvik.
JOE KRISKO | STAFF REPORTER | jkrisko@butler.edu
The Butler community should anticipate various changes to parking on campus for the new academic year.
Among other things, the areas where B permit holders can park and access to the parking lot north of Irvington have changed. Also, a new E permit has been created to give students an option for parking in commuter spots during the evening.
In the past, B permit holders were allowed to park on the fifth floor of the parking garage on campus. Visitors had the ability to park on other floors, including the sixth floor on top of the garage.
Jeremy Moore, associate director of parking and transportation services, said the problem with the previous policy was that visitors would arrive at the fifth floor, see that it was not open for them to park there, and then assume that the top floor was reserved for B permit holders as well.
“What we are trying to solve is capacity within the garage,” Moore said.
To address this, B permit parking for the garage has now moved to the top floor. This will help visitors avoid confusion, but will also mean that students with B permits will have their cars exposed to the elements, including the snow during the winter.
John Wallrich, a sophomore accounting major and B permit holder, expressed frustration with this change.
“I understand the reasons for the change, but I think student parking should be prioritized over people visiting for just one day,” he said. “I don’t want to have to scrape snow off my car every time I want to use it in the winter.”
Imani Hughes, a junior finance and MIS major and B permit holder had some concerns with the change as well.
“Why are we paying the same price as last year to now be parking in an uncovered lot?” Hughes said.
In addition to making changes to this permit, a new permit will be introduced this year as well. The E permit, or evening permit, will be mainly for students who need to park on campus during the evening.
The new permit accommodates for students who are walking to campus during the day but feel safer driving at night.
Students with an E permit are allowed to park in commuter spots from 5 p.m. to midnight during the week and from 4 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. This permit is only $50, which is $85 cheaper than a normal commuter permit.
Moore said this gives students an accessible option at a lower cost.
The final parking change makes the lot north of Irvington House available to B-permit holders only. Last year, drivers with either an A or B permit were able to park here. This is to accommodate the influx of students who will be parking in the area with the opening of Irvington.
All prices for permits will remain the same as they were last year. Any student interested in obtaining a permit can do so through the self-service section of my.butler.edu.