Students at El Camino College are having to adjust to paying for parking permits required for on-campus parking after more than two years of free parking.

Parking permits were reinstated for the fall 2024 semester after the Board of Trustees approved a measure on Monday, May 20. Parking fees were waived in the spring semester of 2022 in an effort to increase enrollment following the pandemic.

The Board of Trustees hopes to generate revenue from parking fees as the college is in a budget deficit. Fall and spring semester parking permits cost $20 and $7 for summer and winter semesters.

With the first week of school in session, the parking permits have generated mixed reactions to the college reinstating permits for students.

Glen Vincent, an 18-year-old nursing major, who resides in Torrance commutes by car, adding the permits do not benefit the students.

“I don’t feel like they should charge $20 for parking for the semester, because some students are not on scholarships and have to pay out of pocket and have a budget,” Vincent said.

He also implies how traffic is a huge problem for students.

“I know the semester just started but the traffic coming in and out has been horrific and I’m on campus for four days,” he said.

Kaitlyn Matthews, 18, a business major and Torrance resident also expressed concern with finding parking.

Matthews purchased her parking permit from the bookstore, adding that it is difficult for students who have parking permits to find a parking spot, while students who have no permit park in spaces that require one.

“It would be nice to have parking,” Matthews said. “Finding parking can be hard sometimes.”

Leslie Roman, a 35-year-old psychology major also echoed this sentiment. Roman commutes by car.

“Better to get it ahead of time,” Roman said, referring to the difficulty of buying a parking pass due to high demand.

She added the parking lot fills up quickly, which has made her late for her classes.

On the other hand, some students are not too worried about parking on campus.

English major Cassandra Bautista, 20, said they are not concerned with the parking permit fees because rather than driving, she takes the bus to and from campus.

Bautista said they are only on campus for two days this semester and spend a total of $8 a week on transportation.

“I take two buses to get to campus…So that is around $4 each day,” Bautista said.

Alexis Fernandez, 18, a nursing major, has not yet purchased her parking permit for the fall semester but intends to purchase one eventually. Fernandez said she is untroubled by the current parking regulations.

Union editors Greg Fontanilla and Katie Volk, and Union reporters Jaylen Morgan and Camila Jimenez contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: the names of the contributors were added and minor errors were fixed on Aug. 29 at 9:50 a.m.