OUCH!
gives information about drinking NEWS: Center Page 2 Technology offers new communication ARTS & LIFE: Page 3 golf team takes Waterchase title SPORTS: Men’s Page 6
Mean Green decimated by injuries Page 5
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
News 1, 2 Arts & Life 3, 4 Sports 5, 6 Views 7 Classifieds 8 Games 8
Volume 96 | Issue 16
Stormy 88° / 72°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
UNT community discusses parking situation Official addresses concerns BY TIM MONZINGO Senior Staff Writer
Every day, students, faculty and staff face off in the parking lots around ca mpus. The employees and students circle lots, waiting and wanting that spot they feel entitled to. With more than 20,000 parking permits issued so far this fall and about 12,800 spaces to accommodate the vehicles, the parking situation is an issue of strong opinions and high tension. “Every fall for about a twoweek period, parking and transportation fail to meet the expectation of all the users,” said Joe Richmond, the interim director of UNT Parking and Transportation. “It’s part of the campus environment, but I don’t think I’d go as far as calling it a problem.” A parking permit is not a guarantee that a desirable parking space will be available, Richmond said. What the permit guarantees is that people will be allowed to park in the areas where their permit is valid. “When you come in here and you get a permit, that’s not getting a parking spot where you want it,” he said. “It’s kind of a hunting license in some cases.” Alissa Guberman, a general studies senior, leaves her home an hour-and-a-half before her classes, making the drive from
I’d park off campus and walk just because I’m morally opposed to paying to park at a place I work,” he said. “For me, personally, it isn’t worth it.” Many drivers find the high cost of the permits to be an issue. The price of the permits is one of the ways that the department maintains the facilities and pays its staff and administrative fees, Richmond said. Money is also derived from parking meters, citations and the use of the parking garage. The department reported that, in the 2009-2010 school year, $5,656,766 was made from permits, citations, parking garage and meter fees. Richmond did not respond to a request for data on how the money is allocated before press time. Richmond wants to hear how students feel about the situation and is receptive to good ideas, he PHOTO BY MIKE MEZUEL/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER said. Communication is someParking attendant Alphonso Quinones puts a parking citation on a vehicle that was parked without a permit. Quinones, who is a an advertising junior, works daily thing the department hopes will patrolling the UNT campus and citing vehicles that are illegally parked. help it find ways to make life easier for the students, staff and faculty who drive to school. that could be used to get from a it easier and faster, inevitably Guberman admits she has Plano to Denton in about 45 “As we move into the future, minutes and spending the rest parked illegally because the public transportation cannot vehicle to class or the office. John Mayfield, a UNT web we’re really looking for a lot of of the time searching for a spot ticket was better than having to fix the problem entirely. “Public transportation is not developer, uses a combination feedback and different ways to park on the other side of campus close to her classes. a cure-all,” he said. “It will not of his car and a bicycle to get to communicate, address issues, The frustration at being from her class. policies, all those kind of things,” “I would have rather taken [a take you from your kitchen table his job in the morning. unable to get a convenient spot The high cost and limited he said. “I’m totally open to is something that she said ruins ticket] than park all the way out to your office. There will be a little walking involved in it, and I availability make parking on constructive criticism.” in Fouts Field,” she said. her day. The office can be reached campus unreasonable, he said, The inability of parking don’t think that’s a bad thing.” “[$180 is] too much for not People should consider other so he parks his truck off campus through its website at www.unt. getting a parking spot half the close to classes is a problem edu/transit. time, and the other half I’m late that Richmond said the UNT ways to get from their vehicles and rides his bicycle. Mayfield is frustrated by the to class,” she said. “I pay for a community needs to adjust to their destinations on campus, Watch more on this premium parking tag [and] half to. Although the buses that like bicycles and on foot, he said. high cost of parking permits story at ntdaily.com. the time I don’t even get to park run from the field and around Often, time spent circling lots as well. To read an editorial about parking, see page 7. “Even if I didn’t have a bike, campus are intended to make and looking for spaces is time in premium.”
Facebook group promotes open parking discussion BY T.S. MCBRIDE
Contributing Writer
PHOTO BY GREG MCCLENDON/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Faculty Staff Express runs a route from Fouts Field to the center of campus. Only UNT faculty and staff can use the service.
Parking office provides shuttle for faculty, staff BY A DAM BLAYLOCK Staff Writer
As students seek convenient parking across campus, so do many of the staff and faculty. “Parking at UNT has become increasingly challenging with building projects and subsequent loss of parking,” said George Niebling, chairman of the staff council. “Staff council has used the opportunity to look for innovative ways to solve the issues.” As a partial solution, the transportation office and the staff council, has introduced two new shuttle services exclusively for faculty and staff, according to www.unt.edu/transit. One of the shuttles, the Faculty Staff Express, runs a circular route from the Fouts Field parking area to Highland Street in front of the Library Mall, said Joe Richmond, the interim director of Parking and Transportation Services. The second shuttle, the Faculty Staff Shuttle, is an on-demand service and will pick up staff from anywhere on campus to take them where they need to go, Richmond said.
They have a price, though. “It costs $25 per hour for each shuttle,” Richmond said. “There’s only one bus on each route.” That money partially comes from the parking fees students, faculty and staff pay, he said. The idea is to encourage parking at Fouts Field for staff and faculty and reduce single occupancy vehicle use through campus, Richmond said. “I think the shuttle is justifiable, as long as the ridership is up and people utilize it,” said Kathy Burmeister, who works in the UNT budget office. Ron Harris, an English junior, said he doesn’t mind the idea of a system to carry faculty and staff. “I think it’s fine they have a shuttle, but who knows about it?” Harris asked. Richmond had the ridership numbers for the third and fourth weeks the shuttles ran. In its third week, the Faculty Staff Express had 83 passengers who rode. The on-demand shuttle carried 63 riders that week. In the fourth week, those numbers jumped to 114 for the Faculty Staff Express, and 104 for the on-demand shuttle, Richmond said. “Everything we do is intended to ultimately benefit the students,” Niebling said later in an e-mail.
Thomas Eaves wants you to stand up for improved parking on campus. The pre-radio, television and film sophomore has already accumulated nearly 1,400 “likes” on his Facebook page, “North Texas Students for a Parking Solution.” Eaves posted the page Sept. 3 after becoming frustrated by the lack of parking available with his P permit. “I mean if I have to strap on my work boots and go out, mix up some Quikcrete and paint some lines on the ground, let’s do it,” he said. “Let’s get it done. But the problem is there’s just no communication.” He said he was tired of arriving at school only to find the parking lots full. “I hear people stewing about parking on a daily basis,” he said. “I just feel like if you’re going to pay that much money — you’re going to pay $180 to get a parking space — that space ought to be provided to you.” Joe Richmond, the interim director of Park ing and Transportation Ser v ices, said he understands Eaves’ frustration but that much of the parking shortage would resolve itself in a few weeks. “The first two or three weeks there’s a lot of people coming to campus,” he said. “Not all of them are familiar w it h t he pa rk ing situation. For example, what I’ve tracked over the past couple of years is that the bus rider-
PHOTO BY MIKE MEZUEL/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Numerous vehicles have violations for not having the correct parking permit waiting under their windshield wipers. ship drops off after the first couple of weeks.” He suggested that in the meantime, students with P stickers use general parking. E ave s sent a n e-ma i l complaining about the parking situation on Sept. 1 to Barry Moore, a member of administrative services at UNT Parking and Transportation. He gave Moore 72 hours to respond before posting the Facebook page, he said. After the page was posted, a St udent G over n ment Association member advised Eaves to contact Joe Richmond instead. Eaves sent an e-mail to Richmond on Sept. 5. He said he hasn’t received a response from Moore or Richmond yet. “We want to talk to someone,” Eaves said. “The issue is we’ve got thousands of students stewing over this and we’ve gotten zero response from the administration. Communication is the real culprit here.” Richmond didn’t remember seeing the e-mail, but that wasn’t surprising given the
volume of e-mail he receives at the beginning of the semester, he said. UN T has a mu lt i-level parking garage under construc-
Permit Information Cost of a permit A- $405 R, P and D- $180 G- $115 Discovery Park Permit- $36 Call Ext. 565 3014 for shuttle service tion, but it won’t be finished until 2011. Eaves said students need a solution now. “I know parking is in the works,” Eaves said. “I know
we’re building parking infrastructure, but that’s not coming until fall 2011. The point is we’re students now. I just purchased a $180 permit for fall of 2010 to spring of 2011. I need a solution now.” He suggested that the university consider other, short-term solutions until the new parking garage is complete, such as making the multi-level parking garage on Union Circle available to people with permits. “That garage is never more than 30 percent full,” he said. “Open it up to somebody.” Richmond also said the University Union garage was under-used, but he would not say if the university would lower its prices. “I would like to see more people using the parking garage because that is available space that is under-utilized,” he said. “We have daily rates and hourly rates, and I don’t think enough people consider the garage as an alternative.”
See STUDENTS on Page 2