Driving through the parking lots on campus, I noticed how they were falling apart. The parking lot surrounding the football stadium and the parking lot that used to be free parking are pothole-ridden and the asphalt is extremely rough.

As I was driving, I was cringing at the knowledge that my tires were being chewed up and at the potential damage the potholes could do to my suspension and steering alignment.

This may not be a problem for students who drive vehicles with off-road capabilities. But I own a very small Saturn that is made for city streets, and these parking lots are closer in resemblance to unpaved fields than city streets.

Noticing this made me wonder why students should pay $40 to park in these decrepit lots.

The two up-kept lots are visitor parking and the lot under the solar panels. Students can’t park in visitor parking and the solar panel parking lots are the first to fill up, due to the proximity of campus.

Staff gets free parking, and their parking spaces are all close to campus as well as in great condition, while students are required to pay $40 to park in lots that are incredibly rugged.

With the amount of money the school receives from parking passes alone, it’s questionable why the parking lots are in this condition. Naturally, anyone would assume that the money the school receives from parking would first go toward the up-keep of parking lots and the maintenance of the campus in general.

This, apparently, is not the case.

The maintenance of the parking lot around the football stadium should be a priority for the school. The parking lot isn’t the only thing that needs work, but the stadium itself could use some TLC. Maybe a good starting point could be finally placing the mulch (that currently takes up a large amount of space in the parking lot) in the stadium like the school said it was going to at the beginning of the semester.

People are always complaining that no one shows up to support Bakersfield College football. Now, I’m not saying freshly paved parking lots and a more appealing stadium are going to bring in the desired amount of attendees into BC football games. But, a more welcoming atmosphere and an environment students can be proud of might encourage them to support their college football team by going to games.

Bakersfield College officials should re-evaluate their priorities. They should make it a point to make students feel they are being considered. Providing crappy parking lots and requiring students to pay $40 a semester to utilize them is not being considerate.