Volume 6, Issue 11 - Nov. 2, 1983

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Volume 6 Is.me 11

AHEC/RTD Parking Survey Gets the 'Denver Boot' by Michael Ocrant

"Growing with a growing community."

AHEC Foundation to Run St. Francis Interfaith

Our Father, Who Art on 9th Street

Reporter, The Metropolitan

by Carson Reed Editor, The Metropolitan

A recent parking survey sponsored jointly by AHEC and RTD, is coming under fire from a number of sources who say the survey was heavily biased and unscientific. Ken Cole, the student representative on the AHEC Parking Advisory Committee (PAC), and UCD's representative George Walker, said the survey seemed to favor the choice of an Automated Cuideway Transit System (ACT) over other alternatives. Dr. Richard Hildreth, chairman of MSC's hotel, restaurant, meeting and travel department, and a teacher of research methods, also criticized the survey. "From any marketing survey standpoint the survey could be criticized for its methodology," Hildreth said. The description of the options, Hildreth said, weighed .heavily in favor of an ACT, and someone unfamiliar with the details couldn't make a critical choice.

"... the suroey could be criticized for its methodology." Hildreth said the survey seemed like "intentional research," which is used to obtain predetermined results. Both Walker and Cole had some of the same criticisms as Hildreth. "I question how valid a tool the results of the survey will be in choosing a recommended solution to the parking problem," Cole said. Future construction projects may eliminate as much as 25 percent of . existing parking, according to one AHEC official. The two major solutions being discussed are parking garages and an ACT system. The r~nt survey was part of a $45,000 study which is being paid for jointly by AHEC and RTD, the main thrust of which is to determine how much demand there would be for an ACT system. According to tentative plans, the system would run from Mile High Sports Complex, where there are almost 6000 parking spaces, to Auraria, and possibly continue into downtown. Cole and Walker said they have the perception AHEC administrators already favor the ACT CDDtinued OD

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November 2, 1983

Not entirely under new management: The courtyard figure of St. Francis of Assisi will continue to hold vigil over Auraria's placid refuge. photo by Jack Affleck

Megacampus

A Bit of Art

Partm Page 5

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The St. Francis Interfaith Center became the property of newly-' formed AHEC Foundation this week, ending a year of uncertainty over the future of the facility. The foundation will continue to rent space to various demoninations and administer the programs established by the Franciscans. Interfaith Center Manager Lynn Bessette was confident that the transition would be smooth, with little effect on the students who use the center. "Of all possible options, this was the best one," said Bessette. The future of the Interfaith Center has been in doubt since last September, when the Franciscan Order announced that it would be pulling out of Colorado as part of a nationwide "retrenchment." Bessette said the Franciscans had difficulty finding administrators for the facility "because the location is so far removed from the Franciscan community." The Interfaith Center is the first acquisition of the AHEC Foundation, created to accept donations on behalf of the campus, and to serve as a possible "financing vehicle" for a variety of campus projects. A grant from the will of May Bonfils, which as been used in the past by the Franciscans to help offset the cost of running the facility, will be turned over to the foundation. The foundation, in turn, will be using that money to buy the Interfaith Center from the Franciscans for approximately $1.5 million. Additional revenue will come from an increase in the leasing of the facility to outside groups. There is some concern at the Center that this will limit the accessibility of the Center to students, who frequently come in search of a quiet place to eat lunch or to study. JoAnn Soker, Director of Special Projects at AHEC, confirmed that the facilities will be rented out more frequently under the foundation. "Right now, the entire facility is being under-utilized," But Soker said the negative effects on students would be minimal. "The Foundation has made a commitment to make its best efforts to maintain the Interfaith Center as it was conceived. The programs for students will definitely continue," Soker said. 0


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