Two weeks ago I was taken off a waiting list for a parking structure next to my residence hall. There are four floors to this parking structure, and I park on the first floor as it is the most convenient and there is a lot of foot traffic (which I believe discourages theft and vandalism). I received a notice yesterday that I was only to park on the third level or higher, and if I didn't I would be ticketed. This was not explained to me at the time of purchase and I did not sign anything agreeing to these terms. My parking permit simply has the name of the parking structure on it and the designation that I am a resident. I have since seen a sign outside the structure that admittedly was there before (I just hadn't noticed it) that advises residents to park on the third floor, but again, this was not part of my agreement with PTS when I signed the contract and paid $720 for a parking pass. When contacting PTS, I was told that only commuters and faculty are allowed to park in the first two levels. Faculty, I can understand, but commuters pay the exact same amount as I did for my pass (again, $720), but without limits as to where they are allowed to park. The PTS representative went on to essentially tell me that I am paying for the convenience of being able to park so close to my dorm, completely disregarding the fact that other students paying the same amount for the same structure can park much more conveniently, not to mention safely.

I mention security because our parking structure has had a high incidence rate of vandalism and theft, and my roommate in particular, after receiving the same notice that I did, began parking in the upper, less-traveled levels. She, along with seven other cars (SEVEN CARS) were broken into without any police intervention or witnesses. Again, these types of incidents occur with some degree of regularity in this parking structure, and PTS refuses to revamp the structure in order to accommodate the installation of surveillance cameras. So every night that I park, my choice is to either a level that will likely earn me a $100+ ticket, or a level that runs a higher risk of break-ins, which includes me paying a $500 out of pocket deductible.

Along with most other aspects of campus life, ASU squeezes as much as possible out of their students with little regard for affordability or fairness. PTS has the monopoly on parking spaces, and they know it. The same official I spoke with was very quick to offer me a cheaper pass farther away that (as he expressly pointed out), offers a "bus service" to get me back to my dorm. All I read into this is that I paid for one thing, received half of what I paid for, and am now given the option to either suck it up or exchange for a cheaper parking pass on the opposite end of a very large campus. They have clearly given me the old bait and switch, and I feel helpless to do anything about it. ASU in general and PTS specifically have a long history of basically taking advantage of their students as much as possible, but to have this issue so flagrantly disregarded, especially as a customer who is paying a vast amount of money for a parking structure I am now told I am only allowed access to half of, is vile and unconscionable.