The view from your recession (markets in everything edition)

When the concept of starting a valet parking service came up at a
recent Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees meeting, it seemed
less out of place than one would think. With the number of students
growing, and the number of convenient parking spaces on campus
unchanged, the idea to charge students and faculty for such a
convenience did not seem unreasonable.

Florida Atlantic is just
talking about valet service. Other colleges have implemented it.
Florida International University and Columbia University introduced
valet programs this spring. The University of Southern California has
had a program in place since 2008, and High Point University brought in
valet at the behest of its president, Nido Qubein, to provide a better
student experience. California State University at Sacramento has also
begun a premium parking program.

Here is much more.  Alternatively, you could view this as a behavioral economics attempt to extract surplus from people who are too often late for class.  By the way, Nido Qubein, the cited president of High Point University, runs a motivational speaking business on the side.