Forgive me, readers. Forgive me if this is too trivial for you to care about at the moment. And forgive me if I am taking this too seriously in the following 421 words.

But why can’t parking permit machines at Sacramento State take change? Why?

First, to explain the issue — parking at Sac State is tough to begin with. Easier since Parking Structure V opened, sure. But difficult nonetheless. Daily parking permits cost $7 and two-hour permits cost $4.

Drivers who, for any reason, need one of these two permits, should have the option to use the change in their car to pay for that permit. There is not a single legitimate reason against it and plenty for it.

For one, not everyone can pay in non-change methods all the time. The vast majority of people on campus are broke college students. I, myself, was/am one. And for the last semester, not only was I broke, but I also didn’t drive to campus enough to make buying a $174 semester-long permit worth it.

I understand that most students (maybe even the vast majority) who drive to campus make the decision that a semester-long permit is the best option for them. Most people who come to campus on the average day don’t need a short-term pass. But that makes it more necessary for UTAPS to accept quarters, not less.

There are a lot of different hypothetical scenarios that make taking change easier on the driver while adding little work to UTAPS and Sac State. Sometimes people in a pinch prefer to pay in a combination of cash and change. Sometimes people simply don’t have enough on their card.

If UTAPS were to accept quarters, it’s not like they would drown in a sea of them. How many people would utilize the availability? I know I would have. In fact, on most days where I wanted to pay with quarters, I opted (or was forced, depending on my bank balance) not to pay at all. That lost revenue is on your hands, UTAPS, not me.