It is evident that the number of commuter vehicles located around Oshkosh parking lots has decreased substantially over the years.

This is causing both positive and negative effects.

Although this may be a recent issue caused by the 841-student decrease from the years 2020 to 2021 at UWO, I believe it is most likely due to the supply decrease in vehicle availability and parts.

This is an issue for commuters due to the supply of parts that are used to maintain vehicles taking longer to arrive at repair shops.

This results in longer wait times for vehicles to be repaired.

Longer wait times cause student attendance to drop when students’ vehicles break down and they don’t have alternate ways to travel to campus.

The shortage of vehicle parts has also led to a decrease in incoming commuters due to the insufficient output of both new and used vehicles.

This is a result of demand for vehicles being greater than the current supply of them.

This causes commuters to struggle even more when it comes to attending our university due to financial struggles of buying cars and the longer timeframe for them to obtain them.

On the other hand, the lack of commuter vehicles in campus parking lots have also yielded positive results.

One example is how commuters no longer have to search the campus looking for a single parking spot before they go to their classes, resulting in a better turnout for classes regarding student attendance.

Another positive effect is that commuters are starting to carpool more often, leading to a decrease in carbon emissions around the campus.

UWO should help commuters who need assistance during the difficult times of vehicle maintenance and availability.

I believe we as a campus should further promote other modes of travel to commuting students in order to help them maintain their regular attendance.