No major university in Ohio can claim it has no headaches from parking. It's not whether it is a problem, it's how each university decides to handle it.

At Kent State, permits are cheap, but the spots are inconvenient. At the University of Akron, parking costs more but is more convenient with parking decks around campus.

Students at Ohio State University have options. They can either shell out the bucks for a good spot or pay a nominal fee for a stadium-like spot.

At the University of Cincinnati, parking is very close to the buildings, but it comes with severe sticker shock.

No matter where you go, students are upset about parking.

Akron's Parking Director Jim Stafford says parking is an unsolvable problem with universities' resources.

He says students should be the top priority before raising permit prices.

Akron has six parking decks scattered around the edge of campus plus another under construction and two more in the next three to four years. Even though permits are $80 a semester, that doesn't ensure a parking spot.

"It's a hunting license," Stafford says. "Right now there's a lot of turmoil and a lot of inconvenience, but I can guarantee there is some place to park."

While Akron's parking decks are close to campus, that's not the case at OSU.

"Oh, it's god awful," OSU junior Dorian Ham says. "You have to pay a lot for a mediocre spot or pay a small amount and have to walk across Columbus."

OSU has nine parking decks in addition to the paved lots speckled across campus - some as far as 45 minutes from the dorms, OSU junior Erin Roberson says.

"That was 45 minutes for me, though, and I walk pretty quick," she says. Roberson says the problem could be solved if buses visited that lot more frequently - a privilege Kent State has.

But a possible solution for OSU doesn't satisfy Kent State students. Many say despite the frequent trips to the stadium, the buses simply aren't convenient enough.

"They (buses) are full all the time," says Kent State junior Randee Skeen, a physical education major, as she removes the yellow parking ticket from her car.

"They just have too many students at this school. They need to put a lower limit on students. We can't admit everyone. There's no more spots for their cars."

At UC, there are no problems with buses; there's no need for them. Most of the campus is encapsulated in a few city blocks with several parking decks.

But many students avoid the decks to avoid the strain on their wallets. Parking costs an average of $169 a quarter at UC, where most permits range from $84 to $204 per quarter.

"None of my friends end up driving," UC junior Basel Saqr says. "They'll just walk. I park a couple of blocks over and just walk. It's not worth the money."

Kent State, Akron and UC are trying to preserve green space. This upsets many students because grass is growing where a new parking lot could be. Parking fines are also different at each school.

Ristow says the parking tickets at Kent State, which begin at $10, make up nearly half of the department's revenue. Last fiscal year, Parking Services made more than $2 million. But at Akron, the percentage of money made from fines is lower because the passes are more expensive.

"That's negative revenue," Stafford says. "We don't like the negative revenue. That's money I don't want to pull in. I'd be happy if we got $0 in parking fines, but that's never going to happen. People will always park where they're not supposed to, and we have to be there to enforce the rules to make it fair for everyone."

UC hands out tickets that can break the bank: $50 for a car without a pass.

"There's nowhere to park, so either get a permit or you're screwed," Saqr says. "Even if you just park (illegally) for a half hour, you end up with a ticket."