Recent changes in the campus parking plan have some students looking for other options, and Wichita State administration has noted these concerns.

Resulting from these changes, many students have been taking advantage of the shuttle service that is offered by the university.

Only this time, students are finding a place closer to park for shuttle service than ever before — the recent addition of the leased 21st Street and Oliver parking lot.

“We knew that coming in with the new [parking] permit policy, there would probably be some push-back, so we wanted to make sure that we had plenty of spaces for students,” said Ellen Abbey, financial analyst and auxiliary services manager in the Office of Administration and Finance.

Abbey said she has been working to make sure that student feedback is heard when it comes to Shocker parking.

“It is the $120 in one fell swoop a month before school,” Abbey said. “I understand, if I were a student, that $120 would have been the end of me, and I would be parking at Metro like everyone else.”

Starting on Aug. 11, it became a requirement that students purchase a parking permit in order to park on campus. A student permit costs $120 for a car, truck or SUV, and a motorcycle permit costs $60.

The free shuttle service, accompanied with free parking at auxiliary lots off campus, however, has provided another option for students when it comes to parking.     

“We have noticed a terrific uptake in shuttle usage, probably three times the rate from last year. Ridership is way, way up,” Abbey said.

    

Josh Mahon, a senior studying electrical engineering, decided to check out the shuttle service after parking on campus previous years.

“Whenever I have morning classes at 9:30, it is generally pretty packed,” Mahon said. “However, coming back is usually pretty open.” 

   

Mahon, like many other students, has taken advantage of the new parking lot at 21st street and Oliver, designed to help alleviate increased shuttle traffic.

“With the Shocker Hall students moving into the Metroplex (parking lot), some of the shuttle parking spaces were taken away, so we thought it would be best to get together and see what we could do,” Abbey said.

    

After partnering with an outside real-estate firm, John T. Arnold Associates, Inc., officials at WSU went to work finding additional parking.

“We hired Marlin Penner from John T. Arnold Associates, and he was able to work with several different companies over there who have parking spaces,” Abbey said.

Located in front of Extra Space Storage, the new parking lot has been popular — so popular, in fact, parking is short during prime times of the day.

    

“The lot has been overflowing, and I have been getting some calls from the other shop owners down there, saying that our students have been parking in their lots,” Abbey said.   

As a result of this increased traffic, WSU officials are looking to expand the lot.     

“We are currently working with another group to obtain another 140 spaces over there,” Abbey said.

Another goal from the addition of this lot is the increased benefits placed upon the shop owners and community.

    

“[Increased traffic] could be good for those stores. Now that students are parking there, they may get [off the shuttle] and decide to stop into Family Dollar and pick up a few things, for example,” Abbey said.

     

WSU officials are not the only individuals who are noticing the increased shuttle usage — some students are seeing the same thing.

“The parking lot is fine, it is just that people don’t like how the buses become crowded — it is like sardines in a can most days,” Mahon said.

Andrew Waller, a senior studying mechanical engineering, echoed Mahon’s observations.

“I honestly think that more buses would help out,” Waller said.

One thing that has been absolutely crucial in the parking renovation process, though, has been student feedback.

     

“The feedback that we got through the form and on social media helped us make changes to the parking plan, all within a week or so of the (parking changes) announcement,” said Joe Kleinsasser, director of news and media relations in the Office of Strategic Communications.

Kleinsasser said that without the feedback his team received on the parking plan, it would not have been possible to finalize the parking changes before school started.     

“I know during the summer, we saw some feedback social media-wise. (The feedback) helped us get more information out to those who needed it,” Kleinsasser said.

Tim Hart, web and new media content manager in the Office of Strategic Communications, wants students to know their voices are being heard, even though the parking plan has been put into place.

    

“I think the most important thing is that sometimes, you just feel that you are filling out a form somewhere, and you won’t be heard,” Hart said. “In this case, they do hear you, they respond, and the administration is hearing your feedback.”

With the lease on the additional parking scheduled to run out in 2016, Abbey is hoping that future development will help solidify the future of parking at WSU.     

“(The future of the leased lot) all depends on how the construction of additional on-campus parking goes — I think we will know a year from now,” Abbey said. “We are hoping three years will take care of this, and if enrollment continues to increase while the economy grows, we are hoping to build our own lots.”

Abbey hopes one thing doesn’t change or go away, though.     “But, with this, I love the idea of keeping the shuttle, at least the on-campus part,” Abbey said. “As we are expanding, it really becomes a long walk — everything is all spread out.”