While the average student treks to class from a remote parking lot, four Student Government officials coast to the University grounds each day and are granted access to the heart of campus.

The student leaders are equipped with specialized parking permits, totaling $1,250, which is paid for with student fees.

According to Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, SG is offered five parking permits each year, separated into “C” and “B” zones. They are the only students offered the permits, Graham said.

The permits are offered to the president, vice president, senate speaker, speaker pro tempore and chief justice. All accepted the passes last year with the exception of Chief Justice Danielle Rushing.

“The president is granted a ‘C’ pass, which allows total access to the campus,” Graham said. “The ‘B’ pass allows them just within the Easy Streets.”

Graham said the permits are renewed each August and charged to SG. He said “C” permits cost $500 and “B” permits cost $250.

Because SG does not have an account set up to pay for these permits, the passes are purchased from the officials’ contingency funds, which come entirely from student fees.

“I believe the students’ money has been put to good use,” SG President J Hudson said. “The parking permit gives me access to what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Hudson said his permit has allowed him to be a better president.

“The students allow us to be president and vice president, and the pass makes us more efficient,” he said. “If Dani and I did not have the permits, we couldn’t do a lot of what we’ve done.”

Hudson said he does not consider the permit a “perk.”

“Other SG presidents are given cars, laptops, tuition waivers — they get perks. We don’t,” he said.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Student Government Association President Chris Groh said he receives a meal plan, a tuition waiver and a salary. Groh said the meal plan and tuition waiver are funded by the University, not student fees.

LSU SG Senate Speaker Brooksie Bonvillain, who received a “B” permit, said she does not think permits are an appropriate use of student fees.

“I, as an individual, used the parking permit and should be responsible for paying for it,” Bonvillain said. “I signed up for the job, and it’s not a stated amenity of the position.”

After being approached by The Daily Reveille about the issue, Bonvillain arranged to make a one-time deposit into the revenue-only contingency account to personally repay her permit.

Cortney Pitcher, SG coordinator, said Bonvillain gave a $250 check to her Tuesday, and it was sent to the Bursar’s Office to be deposited.

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Aaron Caffarel said he would also like to reimburse the account for his permit, if possible. Hudson said he would not.

“To be honest, it has been worth the student fees to make my job more effective,” Hudson said.

SG Vice President Dani Borel said she would pay for her permit if she had the means but said it is unlikely, as the permits are expensive and she is financially limited.

“I don’t feel bad about having it, though,” Borel said. “The nature of our work is not confined to the Union or our offices.”

Borel said the permits have been helpful and have allowed the duo to be more effective.

University students pay a $2.20 fee toward SG each semester, Hudson said. With a $1,250 total cost, about 568 students paid for the four permits.

Caffarel and Bonvillain said they were originally told they would receive the parking permits for free but were later charged. Caffarel said the decision to draw the funding out of the contingency should have involved more discussion.

Pitcher said previously only the president was charged for his or her permit, and SG paid for the permit in August. She said SG was notified of the change in September and was required to pay for the remaining three permits in December.

Graham, on the other hand, said the permits have never been free or discounted in any way. He said he cannot recall a time when the president did not accept the permit.

Paying for the permits from the contingency accounts has been a common practice, Pitcher said.

“For the past three years, the presidents have used their contingencies to pay for their passes,” Pitcher said in an e-mail. She said how the contingencies are spent is at the sole discretion of leaders.

Cody Wells and Kathleen Bordelon, the newly-elected president and vice president, said they want to personally pay for the permits. Wells said he will ask SG legislative and judicial branch officials to do the same.

“We do not believe student fees should personally benefit SG leaders,” Wells said.