I made this petition to make sure that student employees at Grand Valley State University are offered an affordable/safe way to work. This issue affects the entire GVSU student body, specifically its employees and other schools as well! 

Hello fellow students of Grand Valley State University. My name is Shayla Gilland and I am a junior at Grand Valley State University. I am studying Psychology with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Since I have been at Grand Valley, I have worked on campus as a student employee. I enjoy Grand Valley State University and all it has to offer and most of the time, I have nothing negative to say about the school. My freshman year (2018), I did not have my car on campus but worked until midnight and sometimes struggled catching the bus on its last run. I sometimes resorted to walking back to my dorm by myself because I was left with no alternative choice. For the past two years, I have lived off campus. I would usually take the buses prior to COVID-19 but now with COVID-19 ensuring that all of my classes are now online, I only commute for work. Driving to campus is convenient and saves money only when I work after the parking is no longer enforced, which is around 6:00 P.M. 

I am currently a student worker for the Kirkhof Center at the 2020 Information Desk. I have decided to work even with the COVID-19 regulations that were put in place. I enjoy my job but have thought intensely about this issue that affects not only myself but the several other student workers that commute to campus for work. With commuting to campus for work I have had to pay upwards of several hundred dollars to park in the parking lots near the Kirkhof Center. With other student employees that also choose to commute via car, they also have to pay out of pocket large quantities of money if they choose not to obtain the ridiculously priced parking permits. With COVID-19 numbers becoming increasingly large by the day, I no longer feel comfortable taking the bus to campus. With this also not being an option for those who commute from farther Grand Rapids areas, who would likely have to pay a bus fare outside of the free bussing through the Laker Line and other bus routes, those who drive have to pay for gas on top of parking for however long they decide to work. 

On top of this, I am biracial and in this current climate, it is not the safest to be out on campus at such odd hours alone. There is the potential of missing a bus, being late for work, the list goes on. To add to that, I am a woman. Women are effected in the same aspects plus some. 

What I feel the administration (parking services, student employment, etc) can do to resolve this issue is by giving out parking vouchers that would have no cost to the student works for those who commute to campus for the duration of the time that they are working Another option could be to create a zone specifically for student employees within the parking lots while they are working. This prevents students from having to pay for parking when they are only on campus for certain periods of time. This also encourages social distancing and COVID-19 precautions in a sense because students will feel more comfortable driving themselves to their place of work rather than taking a bus packed to capacity. 

I hope that the administration takes the concerns of myself and my fellow students seriously as this is an issue that continues to persist.