In my four years at Fresno State, it̢۪s has been a rare occasion when I̢۪ve been pained with the task of finding parking.

Living across the street from campus places me within walking distance of almost everything “Fresno State.â€Â It’s almost like living on campus, just without regulations, random roommates and those freshmen still talking about their senior prom.

But by taking daily shortcuts through the parking lots, I̢۪ve become acquainted with the scavenging nature of many students parking on campus. They seek for the closest spots or follow you around hoping to score a parking space close to their class. I won̢۪t go as far as calling it harassment; it̢۪s slightly annoying at worst, mildly amusing at best.

After following you around for way too long, many people finally give up and park in Timbuktu, aka the parking spaces close to the Save Mart Center, and proceed to curse their luck all the way to class.

But, surprisingly, a couple of weeks ago, instead of being amused by these parksters, I actually became one.

Coming straight to campus from my job at a local day spa, I was in full work get-up, meaning heels and a dress.

Now I can handle the heels, three years of working at a spa, and random nights of being out and about, have forced me to get used to the four-inchers. It̢۪s my clumsiness that I always have to keep in mind.
With the endless supply of uneven pavement and cracks in the sidewalk, the entire campus turns to an obstacle course to any chick in heels, more so to one that would be accident prone even if given flat terrain and hiking boots.

So in trying to keep the walking distance to a minimum, I circled the parking lot for what seemed like an eternity— or rather five minutes, if we place impatience aside. Finally, I rapidly pulled into a space as the car had barely finished pulling out, only to realize someone else was ready to take that space, had I been seconds slower.

I didn̢۪t follow anyone around but I did commit one of the most hated parking offenses: spot stealing.

With my quick transformation into one of the people I usually judged for their incessant parking complaints, I began to think about the necessity of the proposed parking structure.

Usually a pedestrian to school, it̢۪s easy for me to say that I̢۪d much rather take a 10 minute walk over of the convenience of increased parking and its hefty $160-plus semester fee.

But when experiencing the plight of those that park, the reasoning behind the demand for closer parking became clear, it̢۪s simply a matter of convenience.

And it didn̢۪t take long to realize that this continuous and ardent fight for the convenient is constantly placing us further out of luck, and even out of cash.

Be a regular at the drive-thrus and watch the scale slowly but surely rise those 10-20 pounds, just as your wallet shrinks as the cost of eating out adds up. Just the same, demand more parking spaces closer to buildings on campus in the name of convenience and get used to the high potential for fee increases.

You see, the actual walk from those “far offâ€Â parking spaces is not really what bugs most people. It’s knowing that they would be able to park conveniently closer if it wasn’t for those early birds that swiped all of the closest parking spaces when going to their God forsaken 8 a.m. classes.

Taking that along with innumerable factors of inconvenience, like walking in uncomfortable shoes or clothing, can make for a high percentage of students that would rather go without the walk.

But when faced with the reality of much higher fees versus the continued inconvenience of carrying flip-flops or a change of clothes, having an umbrella in the car for rain or sun, or even being the dumbass with a fan mister on a hot day, I̢۪ll still gladly take my 10 minute walk instead of dishing out more money. I̢۪ll mist till my heart̢۪s content if it means saving myself from yet another questionable fee hike. Does our convenience merit higher fees? Not so much.

As attractive as more parking may seem, holding on to as much cash as I can throughout my college years is far more appealing. And besides, we constantly hear Americans are getting fatter by the second— OK exaggeration, by the minute— so it would not be outlandish to deem that 10 minute walk far from an inconvenience. It may actually be so far from it, that it could even be called a necessity.