An Insight into Student Parking at the Kean Union Campus

Rafael Vallejos

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Business and Public Management

Major: BS.FINANCE

Faculty Research Mentor: Horii, Paula  

Abstract:

Parking is an essential aspect of most universities, yet maintaining student satisfaction with parking options remains a major challenge. Previous studies have analyzed the impact that parking has on students, as well as some of the underlying causes of student concern. In this research, a mixed-methods approach was used to explore the underlying causes of dissatisfaction among Kean students, to give a more comprehensive view of parking. At Kean, more than half of the student population commutes. Therefore, this study seeks to understand a relevant topic for the commuting population of Kean students and determine whether parking is a real problem or if parking scarcity is only a perceived issue. Further, this study will describe what transportation and parking needs are available now on the Kean Union Campus.A total of 48 students participated in this research, completing a survey assessing how much value they place upon convenient parking. The survey measured how much monetary value they placed on convenient parking, as well as the maximum time they were willing to walk to get to their classes.The results indicated a significant correlation between time constraints due to back-to-back classes and students' willingness to walk further to their classes. Additionally, many students had concerns about weather conditions or time constraints due to their outside work schedules. Students who felt that any of these three factors were an issue tended to be less willing to walk longer distances to get to their classes from their parking space.These findings suggest that students with insufficient time between courses tend to be unwilling to walk long distances to their classes. This could negatively impact their willingness to attend courses, which may contribute to poor attendance and decreased focus in class. Further, the research provides ways for students to understand and maximize their parking experience by learning about and utilizing all the services offered by Kean.Overall, while the findings offer useful insight into student parking at the Kean Union Campus, the small sample size is somewhat limited and inconclusive. Therefore, for stronger statistical significance, further studies with a larger population are recommended.