The parking division of SIU has increased prices to cover various expenses on campus. Commuter stickers went from 75 dollars last year, to 90 dollars this year. The prices have increased the last two years for parking decals on campus.

The previous year the parking division of SIU changed the parking decal expiration from Sept. to Aug. leaving many people upset that they had to pay for an entire year said Patti Diggle the coordinator from the department of public safety, parking division.

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Many students were unhappy with the price increase in addition to the time change.

Dustin Wright, a senior in engineering, said the yellow pass he received every year since he was a freshman went from being free to costing around 20 dollars. He didn’t purchase a parking pass the following year because of this, and has been parking in visitor parking or at the meters.

“I’ve been telling myself I should probably purchase a parking pass this year,” Wright said, “ but I’m in visitor parking right now.”

The parking division has had to raise prices so they are able to cover their expenses and keep the roads running smoothly because the parking division doesn’t receive any state funding, she said. Illinois doesn’t give funds to any university parking division within the state.

“I think what a lot of people don’t understand is parking decals and parking revenues pay for a lot of things on campus,” Diggle said, “We are responsible to pay for snow removal, for electricity, for the street lights in parking lots, mowing around the parking lots and road construction on university grounds.”

The parking division has needed to raise prices of decals so they can be fiscally responsible and not go into debt, said Adrian Miller undergraduate student government president. He said they have student interests in mind because the money paid for a parking decal promotes safety on campus by providing students with light in the parking lots and covers repairs to university roads.

“Raising prices is the university’s way of keeping people safe on the roads and in parking lots around campus,” Diggle said.

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Last year the parking decals for students and faculty changed the date on parking decals from Sept. to Sept. to the school year, Aug. to Aug., calendar said Diggle. The parking stickers for the parking year 2011- 2012 were not good for one year, as they have been, but only 11 months. They expired in August 2012.

Although the change was printed on the signed form university staff and students, people were unhappy about paying for parking decals for the school year 2012-2013 because the price the same as years past but the decals were only good for 11 months said Diggle. The parking division also reminded people of the change via email and the university’s website.