Page 289 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

live on campus can find other students in their neighborhoods to carpool with. This might work
well for us. The university is very clear on their parking policy. Their campus web site explains it
this way: “The best advice to students regarding parking on campus is DON’T BRING YOUR CAR.”
Because students live downtown, they argue, they can either walk almost everywhere or take the
city bus. The university also has a campus bus, a necessity because of the large space the campus
covers. There is some very limited parking for students who can prove they: are commuters, work
off-campus, or have special needs. There are also city-owned parking ramps nearby and metered
spaces on campus.

In some ways, we are lucky at our college to have as much parking as we do at the airport
campus. There is a shuttle at night from the main building to the parking lots for safety. That also
helps a lot when it’s cold in the winter. I have not heard of any students who couldn’t find parking
when they needed it. I was somewhat surprised, though, to find that, “The cost for parking is
established by the college advisory board.” I wonder how many students the board talks with
every semester. The student senate did have a voice in determining how much each student
pays so that we can have free city bus passes: $1.30 per credit. This is a very helpful aspect of
transportation at our college, we do have free bus passes if we show our pass and our student
ID. As I found out in talking with students, however, not all students can take advantage of the
bus. Too many of our students live far away, or work, or both.

What are some solutions? When I mentioned a shuttle between the two campuses, all the
classmates I spoke with thought that was a great idea. We wouldn’t mind spending a little more
money each semester if we could park cheaply at the airport campus and take a shuttle to our
downtown classes. I have heard that people have talked about a shuttle for years, so I am unclear
on why this has never happened. Being a two-year school can be a challenge with these issues.
Students complain, but are gone in two years, so some things never seem to change. This is one
reason why I’d like to see changes in parking now. Another solution is to work out a fee agreement
with the city so that students can park for reduced rates when taking classes. Jeff said he might
eat lunch at a restaurant more often if he didn’t have to pay so much for parking. Michelle agreed
with him. When we talked, she said she’d like to eat out or do a little shopping once in a while
when she’s downtown. Paying so much for parking, however, makes that impossible. The city does
not have to offer us cheaper parking, but the Downtown Business Association (DBA) is interested
in getting students to spend more money downtown. I spoke with Adrienne Smithson, current
president of the DBA. Ms. Smithson said,“We’d like to see students spend more time---and more
money---downtown before and after their classes. We also have many jobs that students could
fill if they knew about them.” Ms. Smithson said that the DBA might be willing to help fund a
pilot program, giving students vouchers for parking or vouchers for reduced prices for meals or
at some stores. She’d be happy, she said, to talk with the college and the city.

If someone like Ms. Smithson is willing to work on solutions, I think the students and
administrators at our college should also be willing to solve this parking problem once and for all.
The students at our college are the future for our city and our state. According to our college web
site, 83% of our students stay in town after graduation, and 91% stay in the state. The students at
our college do not traditionally come from the same economic backgrounds as those students
who attend the private college or the university. If students really are“first”at our college, shouldn’t
supporting our students during hard economic times be the college’s “first” priority?

Chapter 11 — Writing in College 283