Parking on campus at night just got easier. As a result of a new parking expansion program, students have more evening parking options.The expansion program benefits all students, regardless if they already purchased a central or west campus pass.”Students who do not have a parking pass will now be able to safely commute to campus and park without cost, close to their destination,” said Josh Mandel Undergraduate Student Governmant president. “Students who currently have a parking pass can park until 5 a.m., whereas they used to be ticketed after 2 a.m.”As a result of the expansion program, students who do not have a pass can pick up a free green and white hang tag with EV in large print indicating evening parking.Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking Services, said the passes are valid from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Students can park in any surface parking lot not specifically restricted. Free night parking was designed for students who live off campus and randomly come on campus later in the evening, she said. The EV tag will allow students easier access to classrooms and facilities without having to buy a parking pass, said Blouch.Courtney Hawk, a freshman majoring in Spanish and pharmacy, said she lives off campus and generally parks on west campus. “The extended hours will probably not affect me very much because I am usually finished with classes and off campus before 9 p.m. I think the extension is a good idea, especially around exam time when I may be on campus later in the evening,” Hawk said.Mandel said there are multiple goals for this program; the main goal is to increase safety for students. “Many students living off campus who want to come on campus to study, workout, or attend meetings are deterred because of parking difficulties,” he said. “Since the parking passes are valid in all nonrestricted spaces, students can park closer to their destination.”Students have often wondered why they should have to pay to park on campus at night. Amy Young, a sophomore majoring in journalism, said she lives a few blocks off campus and does not currently have a parking pass. “The only time I drive to campus is in the evening when I want to study at the main library,” Young said. “Free night parking passes are a great idea because I will not have to worry about getting any parking tickets.””The initiative contributes to the university’s broader effort of increasing retention and graduation rates,” Mandel said. “Safety, bureaucracy and money issues are the three major factors in students leaving Ohio State. This program is designed to provide safer traveling, decrease bureaucracy and eliminate unnecessary parking fees and tickets.”The registration, production and lost revenue costs for this program are paid for by funds set aside by the Board of Trustees for student services and programs. Free night parking passes can be picked up in the USG office, 201 Ohio Union, the Office of Transportation and Parking, 160 Bevis Hall, and the Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services located at 104 E. 15th Ave. To pick up the passes students must fill out the normal traffic and parking registration card, but no fee will be charged.”Before the program, students with passes would be kicked off campus or ticketed at 2 a.m. This was disruptive for students trying to study and research, now they can work until 5 a.m. without worry of being ticketed,” Mandel said. “As long as we are going to have great facilities such as computer labs, recreation centers and libraries open late at night, we need to make them easily accessible to students.”