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After a meeting with the manager of Parking and Transportation Services, students should not expect to see any changes made regarding the oversold permits in Greek lots.
“I don’t envision changing anything now,” said Carl Root, manager of Parking and Transportation Services. “I’m not sure what changes we could make.”
On Oct. 8, the Senate met with Root during its pre-session to discuss the purple permits in response to the resolution approved on Oct 1. The issue arose after Parking and Transportation Services sold 670 purple permits for 480 spaces.
Purple permits were only sold to Greek residences.
In an e-mail released by the ASUI to The Argonaut, Root expressed frustration about the wording of the resolution on the day of the meeting, which stated Parking and Transportation Services were “unethical” in selling unlimited purple passes.
“The Senate is certainly free to fire off these types of resolutions,” Root stated. “But I don’t know anyone who thinks it is a logical sequence of communication.”
During the pre-session Kristin Caldwell, Senate pro-tempore, told Root that the resolution was not meant to be a “slam,” but it was just a way to communicate.
In the e-mail Root said he thought when parking services was accused of being “unethical,” it was an attack.
Root requested ASUI meet with parking services prior to the writing of resolutions so he could “hear and provide” the information he feels is important.
“I believe it would make a more credible process,” Root stated.
During the pre-session between Root and ASUI, Caldwell asked parking services to consider selling no more than 10 percent over the amount of spaces available.
Root said that is probably OK but thinks parking will have to look at each zone.
“We don’t want spaces to be underutilized,” he said.
Sen. Zach Arama said he was expecting the meeting between the two entities to “get people on the same page.” However, he said he was left disappointed because Root took the majority of the time explaining parking’s position and only 15 minutes remained for dialogue.
“I don’t feel like very much was delivered,” Sen. Arama said. “The best thing was that Root was there.”
He said the meeting did not concretely resolve anything.
With the dramatic increase in students going through Greek recruitment this year, Sen. Arama said there are far more vehicles on Greek row.
The resolution stated students were forced to park in lots they do not possess permits for and were receiving numerous tickets. Root argued blue lots have always been available to students with purple permits, and overselling doesn’t automatically make all lots available for use.
“Oversell for purple permits has always been blue,” Root said. “Blue has always been an option.”
Root said students were not forced to park in lots they did not have passes for, and getting a citation was not the only option.
Parking and Transportation Services oversold by 40 percent but usually oversell only by 10 to 20 percent, Root said.
“It is very common in an industry to oversell because not everyone will be using a space at the same time,” Root said.
Parking has been overselling purple permits for the last three years after Greek house presidents wanted the change. They wanted the change because of complaints from Greek residences they were not eligible for a pass.
Root said Parking and Transportation Services is reviewing these issues internally and is going to continue to stay in contact with ASUI.
At the end of each semester, Root said house presidents submit a list of members who are eligible for parking permits to the parking office.
Only purple permits are sold at an unlimited number.
“It is a unique permit type that is unlimited,” Root said.
Root said parking services did not have the data for the increase in new Greek members when it made the decision.
Lauren Jacobson, the Panhellenic president, said when Caldwell met with Panhellenic she had the idea to have a limited number of permits per house. Then each house could decide who gets the permits. Jacobson said she thought it was a great idea.
Panhellenic is a council that assists sororities.
“Something has to be done,” she said, “whether it’s a parking garage or changing the color of lots.”
Jacobson said the complaint she heard most was people would have to park in blue lots after getting off work and then walk back to their houses in the dark.
“There are always going to be complaints about parking,” Jacobson said.
ASUI has formed a parking committee that will meet with Root to discuss the issue further.
Root acknowledged the senate is representing and responding to complaints from Greek houses.
“We’re hearing from Greek residences how they want to set it up,” Root said.
This is not the first time parking and ASUI have butted heads. In November 2007, the Senate passed a resolution opposing Parking and Transportation Services’ definition of “parking.”
In the Sept. 25, 2007 issue of The Argonaut, Root said the definition of “parking” is “the placement or standing of a vehicle, with or without a driver in attendance and with or without the engine running.”
In response, ASUI drafted a resolution requesting, “In the future, Parking and Transportation Services should take basic student needs into account prior to changing its regulations.”
Parking and Transportation Services and ASUI will continue to discuss the issue.
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