March 31, 2015

Page 1

Men’s swimming and diving sends three to NCAA tournament. See page 6.

THE

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

M I S S O U R I

Volume 108, Issue 25 | the-standard.org The Standard/The Standard Sports

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U N I V E R S I T Y More than 100 years in print

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The price of parking permits will increase for the first time since 2006.

Driving up costs

Changes to parking next year include higher permit prices and a new lot opening By Brittany McIntyre For The Standard

Parking updates in fall 2015 will lead to an increase in the price of parking permits and spots. For the first time since 2006, parking permits will see a price increase of about 20 percent. This change will be accompanied by a new, lower-cost parking option. The parking administration functions as an auxiliary account, meaning it doesn’t receive money from the university. The revenue from parking passes is the main source of finance for parking maintenance, such as repaving, snow removal, staff salaries, training and other facilities. In the nine years since the last cost increase, inflation has gone up 20 percent, which is how the university decided how much the price of permits would increase. The money gained from the increase in price will be used to help repave, restripe and reseal the parking lots. Additional parking spots will also be opened. A new

parking lot will be added north of Strong Hall, providing about 70 parking spaces. Several university vehicles will be relocated, which will open another 10-12 spots. Finally, with the completion of the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center and the Visitor’s Center, around 100 additional spots will become available. President Clif Smart addressed these changes in the March 10 edition of “Clif’s Notes,” a blog to keep students and faculty updated on university changes. “Nobody likes for prices to go up,” Smart said. “I have not had very many people comment on it one way or another. We do our best at the university to maintain affordability, and I think, at some point, the cost just continued to rise enough that you had to make an adjustment.” The price increase will come with a new, less expensive option for students and faculty. The cost will be $65 for the year, which is $25 cheaper than the previous cheapest parking option. This will allow for parking in lots 39, 51 and 52. Although these lots are

farther from campus, students have the option to take the shuttle where needed. Andrew Bandelow, a junior cell and molecular biology major who currently lives on campus and has a parking permit, understands the meaning of the changes. “At first, I thought it was unnecessary,” Bandelow said. “But upon reading the article, I believe it is a fair increase in price. Looking at the economy from 2006 to now, there is an increase in the cost of living, and I think it is a fair raise.” Parking permits will also look different. In the fall, there will be a transition to repositioning permits, which will be stickers that can be stuck to the windshield. Also, parking permits will be available for purchase online. “I recognize that parking is a challenge, and I would say that we are not unique in that,” Smart said. “Every university struggles with this. My encouragement is you have to plan ahead. Over time, we will do our best to add spaces.”

PERMIT PRICES Lot type 2014-15 2015-16 Increase Commuter

$96

$115

$19

$156

$188

$32

Monroe Apts. $300

$360

$60

Res. Hall Evening

$60

$72

$12

Motorcycle

$18

$22

$4

Overnight

$325

$390

$65

$65

Orange Permit

Adapted from the March 10 “Clif’s Notes.”

B.E.A.R. Fee update: How the Traditions Council is spending your money to create more school spirit By Eli Wohlenhaus The Standard @eliwohlenhaus

The Bear Experience and Recreation Fee that passed through a student body vote in the fall of 2013 has been a hot topic since it was passed. However, the lone aspect that has not been discussed enough is how that money is being spent. When the B.E.A.R. Fee passed, the Traditions Council was breathed into existence. This council’s point of emphasis was, and still is, to come up with the best ways to spend each student’s $50 allocated to this fund. The first order of business was getting members, including a four-member executive board and representatives from the following organizations and groups: •Student Government Association •Student Activities Council •Interfraternity Council •National Panhellenic Council •Panhellenic Council

•Recruiting Emerging Alumni Leaders •Residence Hall Association •Student-Athlete Advisory Committee •Maroon Madness •At-large members (at least one from each class level) Each member has the opportunity to present an idea, and it takes a two-thirds quorum to pass a spending pitch. To Kristina Osborne, the executive director, the Traditions Council does not just decide how to spend the money. “We exist, in my own words, to implement more tradition on campus,” Osborne said. Despite the B.E.A.R. Fee’s link to athletics and the facilities built through the fee’s funds, there is more to being a Bear and having school spirit. One such example was the birthday celebration hosted in the Plaster Student Union on March 17. “The entire reason behind the B.E.A.R. Fee was we wanted to create more school spirit,” Kirby Williams, a senior psychology major and the SGA representative in the Traditions Council, said. “Athletics is a fantastic way of doing that, but it’s not everything. There are those students who do not particularly like sports.”

Osborne agrees that athletics is one of the best ways to promote school spirit, and within that comes the opportunity to create traditions, some of which already exist. “We have themed nights for football, and we have themed nights for basketball,” Osborne said. “...You can ask people what a tradition is here, and they’ll tell you we don’t have any, but these are things we have been doing for a while.” Although $200,000 of the B.E.A.R. Fee is set aside specifically for “the gameday experience,” both Osborne and Williams think the incorporation of all traditions will further the student experience all around. Osborne is working on a project to make a tradition out of the first time the university turns on the fountains outside of Meyer Library each year. One thing Osborne is adamant about is making this “our own.” “This is a way for students to really be a part of what’s going on at Missouri State,” Osborne said. “We’re getting all these great facilities, and if we can get the support from our students to back up those facilities, then I think we, at Missouri State, are in a great position to go far.”


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March 31, 2015 by The Standard at Missouri State University - Issuu