Students, professors, faculty, fans, and community members are all brought in and unified by Wichita State men’s basketball. With that being said, this means a crazy amount of all of those people go to the games, consequently, making parking a difficult task.

The basketball games brings in 10,506 people for almost every game. Even if you plan on getting there early to find a parking spot, everyone else is doing the same.

This result is a hectic “survival of the fittest” competition to get the most convenient spot.

Advice for non-season ticket holders: do not even try to park in the Charles Koch Arena parking lot. There is security directing traffic at every entrance and they will not hesitate to tell you to leave. The Koch Arena parking lot is for season ticket holders that purchase parking passes or very important people that invest a lot of time and money into the team.

The people with parking passes usually have a hangtag visible for the security guards, so security can pick people off extremely quick. Also, each person has his or her own individual numbered lot so it is obvious when someone else parked there that is not allowed.

Now for students, after talking to a plethora of them, the number one suggestion is to park and walk. The other parking lots on campus are popular places to park, then walking to the arena.

Although it is a bit of a walk, that’s the simplest way to park without worrying about getting a parking ticket. Most of the games are played after five on weekdays, or they are played on the weekends. Students do not have to worry about parking in the color-coded areas or having a parking permit.

Another place to park is surrounding businesses around the arena, but parking is limited there, too. There is a church at 21st and Yale that is another popular place for students, but the students who park there had to get there extra early.

The best plan to park on game day is to park in a WSU parking lot and walk over to the arena. It’s best to plan ahead and get there early to ensure a parking spot to reduce stress of getting to the games on time.