Reporting also by: Meg Robinson, Sydney Pulliam and Lola Casey
Thursday, March 20, students discovered that Samford plans to greatly increase the price for parking passes beginning in the 2025 fall semester. The fee for parking is listed as increasing to $250 per semester — previously it was $60 per year.
The news quickly spread through Fizz, an anonymous user app. The reports from Fizz cited the listed fees on Samford’s website.
Students on Fizz expressed concerns, and freshman Emilia Horton began a petition.
“We urge the Samford administration to reconsider this decision and maintain the current, more affordable rate for parking passes,” the petition reads.
At 12:15 a.m., four hours after being published, the petition had 522 signatures. By 9:30 a.m. the next morning, it had over 1,000.
“I just saw on Fizz that someone was asking someone needs to make a petition and no one else was doing it, even though it’s like 5 clicks to make one,” Horton said.
This issue hits close to home to Horton, as one of her close friends is currently deciding whether or not she will be able to return to Samford next year due to the cost.
Other students put signs up around campus Thursday night, that were reportedly all taken down by 8 a.m. Friday morning.
“Last night at around 11:00 p.m. to midnight, we walked around and put up about 90 posters of the QR code (of the petition).” said Flower Burke. “By 8 a.m. this morning, they were all gone.”
Freshman Lachlan Caliguiri announced on Fizz that she was going to participate in a protest at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 21. She also reached out to multiple local news organizations, prompting a reporter from CBS 42 to reach out to her for an interview.
“I am protesting for myself and other lower income students that cannot afford this increase,” Caliguiri said. “So, I just want to make sure that voices of me and other low-income people can afford parking because this is getting insane.”
On Friday, Caliguiri, Horton and others gathered on Ben Brown Plaza, holding signs saying phrases like “$500 to park is greedy and insane!”
The protesters stood on the walkway between the library and the UC, lining the way that many students must walk. Many students walked by, cheering them on or signing the petition.
Multiple security officers stood at points around Ben Brown, seeming to monitor the activity.
CBS 42 appeared on campus on Friday but were reportedly not allowed to talk to any more students after speaking to Caliguiri.
Around 2 p.m., James Jefferson, Student Government Association president, emailed the student body stating that he and the Student Executive Board “have already started the process of engaging in productive dialogue with our university administration.”
The University provided the Crimson with this statement:
“Samford is pleased to provide convenient, safe on-campus parking in response to our students’ preferences and enrollment growth, with parking fees comparable to other regional universities. The addition of a new 550-space parking facility, a $24 million investment to open in August, will further enhance our student experience and improve parking on campus.”
More information about the petition can be found here.
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