WVU Coliseum sunset

Offices for the sports information directors are located at the WVU Coliseum.

 Photo courtesy WVU/Mark Webb

For the first time ever, students and employees are paying to park at the WVU Coliseum. The fee was implemented just as classes began for the semester.

The Coliseum has longed served students as one of the only free parking options available on campus. Now, it’s just one of many rising costs facing students.

“I’m not really happy about it,” WVU senior Sarah Faber said.

Faber was one of hundreds of students who parked at the Coliseum Wednesday for classes.

“I understand they need to make improvements and stuff, but it’s just kind of annoying because we already pay a lot for tuition and I don’t really want to be paying extra because I make minimum wage.”

Like Faber, most students told the Daily Athenaeum they were upset about the parking fee in light of the recent tuition hike and other added fees.

Most students are now paying hundreds of dollars more than they did last year, following an approved tuition increase by the WVU Board of Governors over the summer.

Over a month later, school officials announced the new parking fee at the Coliseum. Now, drivers pay a $1.25, including ParkMobile fees, each time they park at the lot.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” senior student Madalynn Rago said. “The school already takes enough money from people. I don’t think that they need the extra $1.25 from everyone.”

Another student, Senior Zachery Bray, said the University should account for maintenance and upkeep costs in their budget rather than asking students to pay for it.

Creative Arts College students like Allie Berze and Layla Wilson don’t have many other affordable parking options, making it frustrating to have to start to pay in a lot that used to be free.

“They’re using it for repaving and lighting, which no one really asked for. And it was perfectly fine to begin with,” Wilson told the Daily Athenauem. “I just think it’s a quick money grab because this was the last free parking area in the entire University.”

Some students said though they weren’t thrilled with the change, they hope the University will use the money to better the Coliseum lot for students.

University officials said in their announcement that the cost of parking would fund maintenance such as paving or lighting; however, officials have planned maintenance projects at the Coliseum as early as summer 2021.

The Coliseum is split into three lots on the ParkMobile app: 5920, 5921 and 5922. Though many of the parking spaces are numbered, the app doesn’t prompt students to enter their spot number.

Payment is required from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Courtesy notices reminding students to pay were placed on a couple cars in place of tickets as of yesterday morning.