Letter to the Editor: Parking changes
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Opinion & Editorial
SDSU Parking and Traffic Committee: What color is the sky in your world? Since massive parking policy changes have been forced upon us for two consecutive years, I would assume that there are massive parking problems on campus that should be addressed. I don't see them. I have not seen reports in The Collegian or Brookings Register of pedestrians being hit on campus. I've never seen a pedestrian accident on campus in my years here as both a student and now a faculty member. No one on campus that I know or have talked to had any idea of why the changes were made. Even if the reasons are legitimate, the fact that this caught so many people by surprise speaks volumes about the way policy and actions that affect every employee and student on campus are being decided. There has been a ruse of "public input" meetings in each of the last two years, but in reality the die had been cast by the time the plans were presented.
The fee structure is another matter, students and employees have to take with a sense of bitter resignation. Students have a right to be outraged that the parking fee hike is so steep and that it is heaped on top of per-credit hour tuition and fee hikes. Employees of the State of South Dakota also have to ask how the university can justify a hike in parking fees during a year when state employees received no merit or cost of living raises. This is a particularly bitter pill to swallow. In short, it's a slap in all of our faces. Perhaps it doesn't look that way in the light of another world.
K.C. Jensen, Ph.D.
Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department
The fee structure is another matter, students and employees have to take with a sense of bitter resignation. Students have a right to be outraged that the parking fee hike is so steep and that it is heaped on top of per-credit hour tuition and fee hikes. Employees of the State of South Dakota also have to ask how the university can justify a hike in parking fees during a year when state employees received no merit or cost of living raises. This is a particularly bitter pill to swallow. In short, it's a slap in all of our faces. Perhaps it doesn't look that way in the light of another world.
K.C. Jensen, Ph.D.
Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department
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Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
employee
posted 5/11/09 @ 3:55 PM CST
Although I agree with the majority, I must disagree on one point of your article. There are, and will continue to be, extensive parking problems on campus. (Continued…)
Student
posted 8/26/09 @ 8:30 PM CST
Sent to parkinginfo@sdstate.edu
I was looking at getting ripped off for a similar parking area that i had last year, and was wondering if you knew if there was a cap on the number of reserved(which are not reserved?) spots they will be selling?
I would expect a "reserved" spot would mean exactly what it states. (Continued…)
employee
posted 8/31/09 @ 4:49 PM CST
Faculty and staff pay $240/year for campus parking tags. Here's what other schools pay...
These are the highest priced faculty/staff tags:
DSU - $65. (Continued…)
TommyPaine
posted 9/06/09 @ 11:31 PM CST
All they're doing is jacking the price of tags so they can discourage people from parking on campus.
Why else would Reserved Lots be $250 & remain empty, while the former "Rape Lots" are now all that Commuters get & cost more then the price of old Reserved Parking spots?
They want people to park on the outskirts of campus now so they'll be used to it when they fill in the few remaining parking lots in campus. (Continued…)
Paul Bowers
posted 9/14/09 @ 7:00 AM CST
Nice to know that some things at SDSU never change! Parking was a problem when I was a student, too. No place to park back in the late '60s, either!
Paul Bowers, A&S '70
Kumar
posted 9/22/09 @ 6:42 PM CST
I think SDSU should come with good solutions to manage the parking. Just changing decals and spots can not do alot. SDSU is expanding and we have new buildings across the road near walmart. (Continued…)
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