Editor, Daily Nexus,

I’m very disappointed in our school after hearing about a new policy to begin charging students to park on campus during weekend and night hours. As an electrical engineering major, I have spent many long nights, long weekends and even weekend nights in lab, hard at work. For the uninitiated, the engineering labs are located at the far northeast corner of campus, as are many other science labs. On numerous occasions I have spent my entire night in lab, working hard and not emerging until 3 a.m. Luckily, though, I could park my car in the lot located between Engineering 2 and 3 and go to and from lab safely. But now, someone over at Parking Services has decided that we should all have to pay for the rights to go and do our class work at night and on weekends in relative safety. No student should be asked to walk across campus and into Isla Vista at 3 a.m., simply to complete their assigned work. I hope Chancellor Yang will realize that his own mechanical engineering students will be forced to walk across campus late at night, risking their personal safety, to go to lab if he allows this additional fee to be implemented.

I understand that monthly permits can be purchased for $10, and while this is a nice gesture, it will still cost select students way too much money. Electrical engineering students, for example, already have to pay for locker rentals and for parts for labs in addition to our tuition costs. Why, too, must we and the other groups of students – dutifully listed by Ms. Martinovich in her letter on Friday (“Night, Weekend Parking Fees Are Unjust and We Must Fight the University on This”) – be singled out for additional expenditures? I would be more than happy to put my name down on her petition to stop this ridiculous fee from being enacted. I would encourage all students, even the ones unaffected by this raise of fees, to help put an end to it before it is too late. Diligent students intent on completing their work should not be forced to pay extra for their safety.

EITAN LOEWENSTEIN

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