The University of Idaho Argonaut

The purple parking lots on campus are filled because Parking and Transportation Services sold too many permit. Tyler Macy/Argonaut

ASUI asked Parking and Transportation Services to stop selling an unlimited number of purple passes after 670 permits were sold when only 480 spaces are available.
“Students buy a purple permit to guarantee themselves a parking spot,” said Garrett Holbrook, ASUI president. “And then they find out they don’t have a spot at all.”
There are seven purple parking lots used for residential parking for Greek students.

ASUI is working to change Lot 45 on Blake Street into a blue or dual red-purple to help with overcrowding of vehicles.
ASUI Sen. Zach Arama said 100 more students went through Greek recruitment this fall, meaning there are a lot more cars on Greek Row. 

Arama wrote a resolution that stated Parking and Transportation Services was unethical in selling unlimited purple passes. The resolution was sent to Carl Root, manager of Parking and Transportation Services.

The resolution also stated Parking and Transportation Services ignored past requests from ASUI to change its practices related to Greek parking and have not been transparent enough with students.

“(It’s) not fair to those students who live in those areas,” Holbrook said.
Root said parking services wasn’t aware of the problem and didn’t like that they received a resolution stating they were unethical.
“There can be more effective ways to communicate,” Root said.
Holbrook said ASUI told Root about the resolution before it was sent.

Root declined to comment.
Holbrook said he is frustrated because he had a pre-session with Root last year and clearly asked parking to stop overselling parking permits.
Arama said Root promised parking services wouldn’t oversell parking permits but did it anyway.

Parking and Transportation Services sells more than the number of spaces available because of turnover. Holbrook said purple and silver lots are residential parking and are used more for storage. They are different than commuter lots where people come and go every day.

Mark Morgan, president of Beta Theta Pi ,said it’s ridiculous when parking services oversells permits by that much.
Arama said people are upset about the overselling of permits.
“Lots of people are parking in spots where they don’t have permits because they don’t have a choice,” he said. “Those people are getting numerous tickets.”
Parking and Transportation Services has helped ASUI in a lot of other ways, Arama said.

ASUI and Parking and Transportation Services discussed this issue last year, Holbrook said.
“I thought this was over,” Holbrook said.
Holbrook said some students don’t want to move their cars from purple spaces because they are afraid of losing their spot. He said there is no point in that when blue lots can be used as storage parking and are $10 cheaper than purple.

Students were not aware of the unlimited selling of purple passes, Holbrook said. At the very least, parking services should have told students, he said.
Holbrook said ASUI talked with sorority and fraternity presidents, and they were  upset about the overselling of parking tickets.

ASUI received a lot of complaints about the parking issue. Holbrook and Arama said they will meet with Root to discuss the issue and come to an agreement.

	1. 08-10-2008 08:40
	Plenty of Parking If they sell less permits next year, than there will be complaints that there is not enough greek parking. The fact is that there is overflow parking in blue lots for purple permit holders. You may not be able to park at your front door but there is not a shortage of parking. Registered

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