More Parking for TTU Students

Any student I have ever spoken to throughout my time at Tennessee Tech has complained about the lack of parking on campus. It is evident through both my experiences and the experiences of others that there is not enough parking to support the amount of students. However, when anyone tries to speak up about the situation, the university says there is ample parking but we are refusing to use it. The parking lots they are referencing are a mile away from campus and require a shuttle to drive students to class. The main issue I have with this argument is that not only are these lots very inconvenient, but the shuttle system is also not reliable. If more students start parking in these lots, there will not be enough shuttles to support them. Additionally, TTU sells green parking passes for students who live on campus and red passes for commuting students. I personally have had both a green and red pass, and with both passes I have been unable to find parking most days. So why am I paying over $200 for a parking pass I cannot use? The university allows thousands of students to buy red and green passes but they do not offer enough spots to support them. I believe we need to see a change. The university should not be selling more passes than the amount of parking spots available, and one way we can help fix this issue is to petition for the university to add more parking lots. I think the plot of land behind Foundation Hall, which is owned by the university, should be turned into a large parking lot for students with red and green passes. This lot would be much more convenient for students because it is close to multiple dorms and university buildings. There is currently a small parking lot behind Foundation Hall, but it is not large enough. By expanding the parking lot into the field, hundreds of new parking spots could be created.