Photo illustration by Juan Villa / The Collegian

All student parking at Fresno State is not created equal.

The yellow parking lots on campus are designated for faculty and staff only — but there are exceptions.

According to an analysis by The Collegian, at least 135 yellow permits are issued to students. The university̢۪s policy on buildings and grounds states that yellow parking lots should be restricted to faculty and staff only.

Campus Police Public Information Officer Amy Armstrong said several student groups have access to these priority lots. The police department, however, was unable to provide The Collegian with a list of all the student groups that receive this benefit. The Collegian did identify at least three groups: ASI, the Smittcamp Family Honors College and The Collegian itself.

Armstrong could provide no official policy explaining why certain students have access to yellow lots while others do not.

In interviews, officials from ASI, Smittcamp and The Collegian gave two primary justifications for providing the yellow permits to students: safety and rewards.

The Collegian̢۪s business manager, Virginia Sellars-Erxleben, said safety is the primary reason why The Collegian gives some of its students yellow parking permits.

“Our students are often here late at night, and we would rather keep them parked close by,â€Â she said.

According to Sellars-Erxleben, these permits are available to what she calls “the core editors and newspaper staff.â€Â This fall, this consists of 18 students, who pay for their own passes.

For ASI, the main justification is reward. Student Activities Adviser Gary Nelson said in an e-mail interview that many students provide services, programs and activities for the campus community.

“The opportunity to purchase a yellow parking pass is one small way the university can say ‘thank you’ to our volunteers for the hundreds of hours of work they devote during the year,â€Â Nelson said.

Nelson said that ASI gives passes to students involved in the ASI Senate, USU Productions coordinators, the USU Board, the four presidents of the Greek council, and coordinators for Vintage Days. This totals roughly 55 permits, which are paid for by the students. The Vintage Days coordinators only get yellow permits for the spring semester.

Stephen Rodemeyer, director of the Smittcamp Family Honors College, explained that some honors students also get yellow parking permits. He said that all honors students with senior status receive the yellow pass, as well as any honors students who serve as elected officials for the Council of President̢۪s Scholars. Altogether, this totals approximately 60 yellow permits.

Rodemeyer said that yellow parking passes were part of the perks that had been approved when the honors college was founded in 1998. The permits are provided free to Smittcamp students.

Brianna Wilson, a Smittcamp senior, is enjoying her first semester of using the yellow lots.

“It’s been convenient,â€Â Wilson said. “I definitely do a lot less walking.â€Â

Wilson said she wasn̢۪t sure why Smittcamp students received the restricted permits, but assumed it was just an extra perk for being an honors student. She said that the average Smittcamp senior is involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities, and that many students have moved off campus by their senior year.

“It makes going back and forth a lot easier,â€Â Wilson said.

However, she also said that the disbursement of yellow passes to students may not be fair.

“There’s a lot of students who aren’t part of Smittcamp that are involved in tons of activities on campus,â€Â Wilson said. “It probably isn’t fair to them.â€Â