GUEST COMMENTARY: PARKING PRESENTS PROBLEMS FOR STUDENTS

by Marcia Roye

While most analysis of the parking problems at the University focus on isolated episodes or personal experiences with a fine, we must look at larger issues like parking disparities, parking fines and how the parking revenue will facilitate a prospective parking garage for the year 2000.

Faculty and staff have privileged parking at UM-St. Louis, yet students pay their salaries. Students have to walk a country mile to get to their classes no matter where they are on campus. The shuttles are frequent, but no one wants to take the scenic route when they only have ten minutes before class starts. UM-St. Louis contends that it wants to add more buses, but what it needs to do is shorten some of the routes; especially on North Campus. Ideally, some buses would only circle North Campus, and some would only circle South Campus, with a few buses circling both campuses. More students would then use the shuttles without worrying about taking a trip to the Meadows when they want to go to SSB.

This type of customer service is missing at UM-St. Louis. Here, students are not treated like valued customers when it comes to parking, but the faculty and staff are. Instead, UM-St. Louis students are treated like children. To illustrate, it is customary that when adults and children get into a car, the adult usually sits in the front, and the child sits in the back seat. The same is true at UM-St. Louis: faculty and staff are given close parking while the students who pay much higher parking fees have to park far away. Students should be treated with the same adult respect and receive equal parking opportunities.

In addition, the reserved parking for faculty and staff lends itself to parking tickets for students. If you park in a privileged space in order to quickly drop something off, don't be surprised when you see that little yellow envelope on your windshield. The campus police circle both campuses more than the shuttles.

Lastly, privileged parking leads to fines; the fines lead to more money for UM-St. Louis; more money leads to a $34 million parking garage expected to go up in the year 2000. The average student pays close to $50 per semester on parking fees and another $10 to $50 in parking fines. Therefore, UM-St. Louis can easily make up to $200 a year in parking fees and fines per student. Approximately 16,000 student register each semester. If they all pay for parking, in a year UM-St. Louis can heap $6.4 million, which in four to six years is enough money for that new parking garage. But students shouldn't have to pay excessive, punative fines to increase revenue, especially if they have to put up with parking disparities.