Natalie Doland
The Silhouette

The parking cost at McMaster from September 2013-April 2014 is about $556, and the average Canadian university tuition is $5,772. This makes parking at McMaster for eight months approximately one-tenth of the average Canadian tuition.

There have been numerous cases of illegal parking this academic year. Approximately 75 tickets have been issued, and there is an indeterminate amount of parking-mischief that has gone unnoticed. There are many reasons that people feel this is their only option. Parking on campus is overly expensive, and students have limited resources to pay for fees on top of tuition. It is hard enough for students to own a car and pay for gas, let alone buy or pay for a parking permit.

A fine of $75 is administered to anyone caught scamming free parking. Even if five tickets are received over the eight month academic period, it is still cheaper than buying the most inexpensive parking pass at McMaster. It is not surprising that students are continually finding ways to cheat the system. The odds of getting caught are in the parker’s favour because it would require a great amount of staff to catch cialis for women every illegal parker. A McMaster graduate stated that her tactic worked 40 or 50 times and she paid minimally. Honest people that pay for parking are beginning to see that these illegal strategies are working. Consequently, more and more people are trying to cheat the system. As more students hear about the different tactics avoiding the system, the problem will only worsen and fewer students will pay for parking. McMaster must take action.

McMaster may argue they need to charge this amount for maintenance, new sidewalks or other miscellaneous costs. McMaster can work out this problem is through student fees. Bus passes are automatically added to a student’s fees regardless of if the student wants to use the pass. McMaster should consider the decision of designing a system where a student can opt-out of the bus pass and use that cost towards a parking permit. This would reduce the cost for students parking on campus, subsequently reducing the amount of illegal parking. McMaster’s solution to solving the illegal parking issue is imminent. The ball is in their court and it is time that they take action on this issue.

Those looking to catch a basketball or volleyball game in Burridge Gymnasium this year could be in for a shock as they try to walk through the doors.

For the past three years, McMaster students who wore maroon and presented their student card were given free admittance to basketball or volleyball games. The no-cost event was part of the Athletics and Recreation department’s Colour Your Passion campaign.

But as the department puts down the crayons and launches The McMaster Way initiative, the free admittance is falling to the wayside and students will now be charged $5. Parrish Offer, manager of Athletic and Recreation’s marketing, says that this fee is about much more than trying to bolster revenue figures.

“The thought process behind this is that we had devalued our tickets. For our students, the value of our tickets was zero and it didn’t feel like we were putting on a valuable show,” said Offer.

The athletic director, Jeff Giles, associate director, Mark Alfano, and Offer collectively made the decision over the summer. The free admittance did not drastically impact attendance figures, as the three years saw virtually no increase, according to the athletic department.

But as tuition costs rise and students are more reluctant to drop dollars, the $5 ticket has the potential to be the tipping point for someone who is undecided on whether to attend a game or not. However, the head of marketing does not see it that way.

“There’s a perception out there that students are poor – that they don’t have money. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, I think they are on budgets and they will spend for good value,” said Offer.

The opportunity to free admittance has not completely disappeared, however. The department launched the McMaster Marauders Mobile App towards the end of August, which rewards students for checking in at places either on campus or the surrounding area.

Every check-in is worth one Maroon Point, and it takes ten Maroon Points to receive free entry to a basketball or volleyball game for free.

While the opportunity for free entry is a good alternative, the impact on attendance numbers will be an interesting story to follow. The casual Marauder fan is getting the short end of the stick here, with the die-hard being rewarded for their dedication.

The change has the potential to chase away fans from the brand, but the department has addressed this by adding more vendor rewards in their app than just athletics.
“The app has TwelvEighty, the Campus Store, the Phoenix, who are all on campus and you can get points. Then you can go off campus to places like the Snooty Fox and Pita Pit to earn rewards there,” said Offer.

Currently, football has a $5 cost for students and the fee has not deterred students from going to games. The athletic department says it is optimistic that on-court success mixed with stronger brand affinity from students will bolster attendance figures in the coming years.