Administration

Penn State shares update on employee parking, recreation fees

Recreation fees aren’t being assessed; parking will be refunded for employees receiving 50% pay

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – As Penn State continues to respond to the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, employees will see some fees are no longer being deducted from their paycheck while others continue to be paid to cover the cost of some operations.

Employees who have Campus Recreation memberships paid through payroll deduction did not have the fee deducted from their April paychecks.  The suspension of these deductions will continue as long as recreational facilities remain closed. 

Employees who paid their annual Campus Recreation membership fee in full upfront may either request a refund for the period of facility closure, or through the end of their membership, whichever comes first, or have their membership extended without additional charge from the reopening of recreational facilities through a period equal to the closure of these facilities. 

All faculty and staff members holding these memberships have received a communication from Campus Recreation explaining these options and providing the related information necessary.

Faculty and staff interested in donating their membership refund or contributing any amount can visit Penn State’s giving site to learn more about the Student Care and Advocacy Emergency Fund, the Employee Special Assistance Fund, the student food pantry, and other pandemic-related fundraising efforts and to make a gift online.

In an effort to help mitigate the financial challenges facing employees who do not have work they can perform remotely and are receiving 50% of their salaries, the University will refund parking fees for these employees from May until they return to full pay. Reimbursement for May and June will be disbursed at the end of July for employees paid monthly and on July 17 for employees paid bi-weekly. Timing of future reimbursements, if necessary, will be announced at a later date.

These employees will continue to have their permit fee deducted from their pay on their normal schedule but will receive a fee reimbursement for pay periods during which they were receiving 50% pay. These employees must keep their permit until they return to full pay status or until return of the permit is requested by their department or Transportation Services.

“Though many permit holders are not currently parking on campus, parking facilities are still being used by a number of faculty, staff and University departments,” said David Gray, senior vice president for Finance and Business. “The costs associated with operating and maintaining campus parking facilities remain, as do the costs associated with University-sponsored transportation programs and other services that are funded through parking revenue. With the University deciding to pay all employee salaries in full through April – even if they cannot work -- parking refunds for April will not be issued.”

Faculty and staff permit holders who remain employed by Penn State at their full salary will continue to have their parking permit fee deducted from their pay on their normal schedule and will maintain access to their current parking area when normal operations resume. Permits should not be returned or discarded.

For employees who are retiring or leaving University employment for other reasons, fee responsibilities will end but return of their permit will be required. These employees should contact Transportation Services by email at parking@psu.edu for instructions related to the permit return process. For all other employees, permits should not be returned or discarded.

When normal operations resume, employees who no longer wish to park on campus will be able to return their permit to their department or the Transportation Services Office. Updates related to the status of campus parking will be shared with permit holders by email when available.

Last Updated September 22, 2020