At Sacramento State, the parking situation sucks on a number of levels.

First of all, the fees keep going up. It is now $153 for a semester, and six dollars per day, up from $108 a semester and five dollars per day last year.

Particularly the first few weeks of the semester, it is hard to find a parking spot, and depending on what time your class starts, it can result in a pretty distant walk.

Also, the cops will find ANY reason to give you a ticket. Be it a mediocre parking job, failure to have a daily permit even if you are only going to be on campus for a few minutes without being in one of the designated spots, they will find a way to get you, and laugh while doing so.

However, my biggest gripe with the parking situation is not being able to leave your car in the parking lot overnight. If you have a permit, you should be allowed to park. I realize it’s probably for safety reasons, but I’m willing to take that risk.

If you do want to park overnight, you have to obtain an overnight or Residence Hall parking permit, according to University Transportation and Parking Services.

I was unfamiliar with this regulation as I left my car on campus last year. Around midnight, when I informed my friends that I planned to leave my car on campus, they asked if I got a permit for it.

The answer was no, and they said one is needed or else it would potentially get towed. Disgruntled, we went to pick up my car.

I would have thought the permit I spent over $100 on would allow me to have the freedom to park at Sac State whenever I wanted to; unfortunately that is not the case.

Kyle Kershner can be reached at [email protected]