Head to Head: The U parking changes impact schedules

The University of Utah has seen numerous accounts of students protesting the nightmare of parking on campus.

On Aug. 28, 2025, the U took to Instagram to explain changes to class schedules taking place as soon as the spring 2026 semester, which they deemed would increase availability. With plans to shift 50% of classes outside of primetime hours, only 30% of classes will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This plan is a slap in the face of the student body and faculty. This change in class schedules harms students who work, commute or have other responsibilities outside of class.

U commute

As of 2023, the U reports about 79% of the student body commutes to campus. As a result, many of these students took to social media or public media to advocate discontent for the limited parking available.

Along with limited parking, multiple complaints have been raised about the rising costs of parking permits. In 2024, the commonly used U permit for students was $345 for the complete academic year. By 2028, the U permit is expected to rise to $516.48. “When they announced the class changes, even as someone who doesn’t park here because of the cost, I was in shock,” student Jocelyn Esquivel said.

For faculty, the commonly purchased A permit is shifting from $828 in 2024 to $1,239.60 by 2028. Changes in class schedules don’t just ignore the infamous parking issues on campus. Instead, this decision perpetuates further financial disparities.

U work

Tuition is also becoming more expensive, with the average undergraduate resident student paying about $224.20 more each semester.

With about 67% of college students nationally paying for their own tuition, these rising costs at the U only cause further emotional and financial distress for students.

“I used to be a host at a restaurant, so I understand other students’ frustration. I know most students are working, because we have to pay for stuff too,” student Isabel Marchena said.

Working is essential for many students paying for their school.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 3% of college students work. “Class schedule changes will for sure affect students’ working. There are a lot of students who do their part-time job in the afternoon and morning. They only have time for school in the daytime,” Esquivel said.

For many students with part-time jobs, shifts occur during evenings and weekends. Therefore, pushing classes later into the day directly conflicts with work availability. Rather than supporting students who work to afford rising tuition, this scheduling change demolishes their ability to succeed both financially and academically.

U care

Outside of school and work, students and faculty have other responsibilities and needs. Parents make up 1 in 5 college students. Being a parent requires quality time, transportation and the means to provide. These requirements are undermined when classes are being pushed into early mornings and late nights.

Faculty members share a similar struggle as their work hours are directly impacted. Non-prime time scheduling ignores these realities, creating inequities across the campus community by disadvantaging those who must balance caregiving with education or work.

Designing class schedules must support rather than punish those balancing multiple responsibilities. “I have late classes at night ending at 9 p.m. After a very long day of school and work, I don’t have time to do anything else,” University Union Events Manager Anh Phan said.

U must push back

Besides caring for family members, students and faculty deserve time for themselves. With classes placed between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., there is still time in the day for everyone at the U to balance what brings them joy outside of school and work.

When class ends during prime time, students can create study groups, attend club meetings, or get physically active. Having a life outside of school and work is essential for successful career development and learning.

Student organizations and events will be hit hard. With many club meetings happening in the evenings to accommodate class schedules, student leaders must now run the risk of low member count from further shifts. “Most of the events, specifically in the Union, are during office hours from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Phan said.

When asked if the class schedule changes impact student attendance, she said, “There are a lot of people who won’t come to campus unless they have class. If I don’t have classes, I won’t go to campus, so I won’t get involved.”

Like student leaders, faculty will have a more difficult time balancing work and family. By returning to the prior class schedule, faculty could hold office hours, pursue research and still return home to their families at a reasonable time. Now, they must fear irregular class schedules and shuffling between work and home.

Utilizing prime time hours is convenient and protects the productivity and prosperity of the entire campus community.

[email protected]

@peakalika.bsky.social

Student protests and a petition have occurred on the University of Utah campus after a recent schedule change was introduced, to take effect in spring 2026.

Most classes take place from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The schedule is being changed to spread classes across the week. This change has the potential to be incredibly beneficial to nontraditional students, but those students are protesting it.

We need to focus on holding the U accountable for their financial exploitation of students instead of protesting beneficial class scheduling changes.

Action is the first step

The U has a history of egregious parking behavior. There have been many student complaints about parking at the U with no rectification of those concerns.

Mickey, a second-year statistics master’s student, said, “My biggest issue with parking has always been [that] it’s too expensive. I quit [paying] around 2022. I said I wouldn’t pay for parking after that. It was too expensive.”

Potential solutions to fix this problem have drawbacks, too. “I’d say an increase in parking would be awesome, but [then] they have to increase the roads. There are also concerns with the hospital. I know if they have too much traffic, then it’d be dangerous for ambulances,” he said.

Commuter Services making a student-focused change is more of an effort than we’ve seen in recent years. Lately, one significant change included raising the prices of permits and tickets. Despite the growing student concerns, this schedule change is a step forward.

How this change can aid students

When the U first announced the schedule change, they marketed it from a purely financial point of view. It shows the school’s primary focus of making more money. Despite this, there is good to come from the new class schedule. “I’ve been here since my undergrad, so I’ve been here for five to six years. I would say that the biggest issue has always been timing issues. I feel like sometimes classes go too long, or back-to-back for exams,” Mickey said.

The U is attempting to fix this issue with the scheduling change. “The problem with [the original] schedule is that it impacts student success. It’s a struggle … all these one-section courses are often offered at the same time. By spreading classes more evenly across the week, we reduce conflicts and give students more scheduling flexibility,” a statement on the new schedule read.

This change isn’t just about parking. The U made a mistake in their Instagram post, where they mentioned the change being “one measure to improve parking.” Whilst the change could positively impact parking, this change will affect student schedules as a whole. While students’ concerns about the change are incredibly valid, we are disregarding the true issue at hand.

The real exploitation of commuting students

The major flaw within the U’s parking system is its undeniable financial exploitation of students.

In July 2025, the U announced a five-year plan to increase the cost of all parking permits. The statement remarked that “one significant factor contributing to the regular rise in parking costs is the U’s investment in multi-level parking structures.” Although the plan had been approved in March 2023, in August 2024 the U shut down a 350-spot parking lot to create more housing.

There was a reported $4.7 million increase in the 2024 Commuter Services revenue due to parking permit increases, and they only continue to increase prices.

This raise in permit costs makes parking on campus inaccessible for students. Including the fact that the U is intentionally selling more U permits than spots available, Commuter Services is taking more from students than students receive.

As a self-funded department, Commuter Services claims that 38% of income generated from permits goes to transit operations like UTA and Campus Shuttles. This 38% investment isn’t enough to influence Trax or UTA bus routes to work effectively, and that problem isn’t solved by increasing fees that students must pay.

“I wish the commute was better. I think they need some way to make [Trax] more consistent. I take the Trax and I swear that once a month it’s broken down. It happens too often,” Mickey said.

When the U announced its five-year plan to increase permit costs, there were no protests. Commuter Services is getting away with it as students turn to petition against a class change that could actually aid fellow students.

Commuter Services’ financial ploys are the real issue with parking. Getting out of a three-hour class just to see a $50 dollar ticket under your windshield wiper is an awful feeling that only the university gains from.

If Commuter Services wants to, they will continue gouging students’ wallets with permit and ticket prices, as they’ve been doing for years. Students can benefit from this schedule change. It’s not just about parking.

Student concerns about this schedule change are very valid. Students should have the option to create a schedule that works for them.

I simply believe that the real issue at hand — the exploitation of U students — is being swept under the rug as people petition against the class schedule change. We need to be protesting the U’s parking department’s financial abuse of its students.

[email protected]

@evanvanleuven.bsky.social