Sure, parking can be tricky on the KU campus, and it’s pretty hilly. But hey, students, at least you don’t have to pay to use the sidewalks.

That’s what the students have to do at Worcester State University in central Massachusetts — sort of, anyway.

The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass., reported in a story (which I found via Inside Higher Ed) about parking and transportation woes at Worcester State that each student must pay a $72-per-year “parking/pedestrian access fee.”

So students aren’t exactly paying a toll each time they step onto the sidewalk, but they are paying a fee that the university uses for maintenance of walkways. Instead of allowing students to purchase a parking pass if they want, the university charges all of them for access to campus, whether they park or not. (The reason has to do with financial aid, a spokeswoman said.)

KU, by the way, uses state funds for maintenance of its sidewalks, through the facilities services department, says Donna Hultine, KU Parking and Transit director.

Submitting KU news tips to us is just as free as the sidewalks on campus. We’ll even say “Thank you.” Send them to merickson@ljworld.com.