Just the thought of hauling from Lot 59 to class every day was enough to motivate more than 20 students to camp out in front of the Parking and Transit Services office for more than 24 hours before fall decals went on sale this morning.
The sidewalk on the north side of The Towers on Wednesday afternoon was occupied with coolers, tents, beanbag chairs and students waiting for their chance to snag a prime parking space.
After cracking open a beer and sitting on a couch he brought in anticipation of the wait, accounting sophomore Dan Tadano said he planned on sitting outside the office and watching movies on a laptop computer for about 35 hours.
The parking decals that go on sale today have increased $10 to $81 over the price of last year's decals, but students like Tadano said having a good parking spot is well worth the price. He plans to get a pass for Parking Structure 1; its price jumped from $129 to $210.
"Honestly, money is not an issue," Tadano said. "I'm not going to walk."
Parking decals for students and staff will be available for purchase and renewal at 7:30 a.m. at the Parking and Transit services office, and will also be available for the first time over the Sundial phone system.
Judi Nelson, parking services senior coordinator, said more than 200 automated Sundial lines will be open for students to use for decal purchases. Nelson said she thinks it is much easier than camping out all night.
"You're so much better off just calling," Nelson said. "I wouldn't wait outside; I would just get on the phone at 7:30 in the morning."
Parking service officials decided to use Sundial lines so students who weren't able to wait outside in long lines could have an equal chance at getting a decal.
"We tried to make it totally across the board as fair as we could," Nelson said.
As for the students waiting in line, Nelson said it might be fun to camp outside, but it's not going to make much of a difference.
"You have 200 Sundial lines and only five cashiers. There's no privilege in waiting in line," Nelson said. After getting a spot in line at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, pre-med freshman Hessam Salim didn't plan to return home until 4:30 p.m. today, after he gets his decal.
"Currently, I use every type of transportation to get to class," Salim said. "It's just too much of a hassle."
What do you think about waiting in line and camping overnight for a closer parking space? Post your opinion in the forum below.
Reach the reporter at benjamin.honingford@asu.edu.
