FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016 VOLUME 90 ■ ISSUE 118
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INDEX NEWS LA VIDA SPORTS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS SUDOKU
2 0 3 4 3 2
CAMPUS
EMPLOYEE INCREASE
STUDENT INCREASE
INFO SOURCE: REGENTS AGENDA BOOK FILE PHOTO / THE DAILY TOREADOR
By MICHAEL CANTU
A
News Editor
five percent increase has taken effect on the campus for both students and employee parking and is expected to bring more revenue to Texas Tech University Transportation and Parking Services. In late-May the Board of Regents proposed an increase via telephone conference. The proposal came with recommendations from the Chancellor’s Office according to the meeting’s agenda. The prosed five percent increase passed and now it will be implemented through Transportation and Parking Services. According to the meeting agenda, this increase is expected to generate around $150,000 in additional revenue. “All that was approved the five percent for this year through next May,” Eric S. Crouch, managing director for Transportation and Parking Services said. “And in May of (2017), if there’s another proposed increased, we’ll have to take that
and get that approved.” Because of the implementation of Tech’s current system of ePermits, digital license recognizing parking permits, there has not been a need to increase rates up until now, Crouch said. If Tech sticks with its pattern of online parking passes, there is a good chance there may be no increase in next year’s rates, he said. He also added that the last two fee increases have gone solely into preventative maintenance which covers the bases when it comes to petroleum and seal coat cost. “We’re trying to get back ahead of that maintenance curve because it’s a lot easier to take care of than it is to rebuild,” Crouch said. However, the other revenue that comes from that surplus is spent partly on small projects around campus, he said. For example, this summer there is a small project expanding the commuter lot across from the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration, Crouch said. There are also other projects that will be coming up he said, with
the new Honors College residence hall and for the Experimental Sciences department. “Long range, we know there’s probably going to be a structure somewhere. Today that would probably be the east side of campus,” Crouch said. At some point there will need to be another structure, he said, but the university has already exhausted its capacity to add on something within the confines of campus. But, for this planning, Crouch said, parking services is looking at it very conservatively because of their experiences with the Flint Avenue Parking Garage. Before the garage’s existence there was inexpensive parking permits, however once it was built, cost for those permits had to go up nearly 300 percent all around, he said. This was to both pay for any outstanding cost for the garage and also for some maintenance problems, he said. Part of the thinking for a second structure, Crouch said, was also due
to a five-year plan that was implemented from a committee that sets the price for permits. Because of the years they did not have to increase rates, the plan was able to extend to eight years, he said. However, with the university having the capability of reaching 40,000 students quickly, there needs an action plan. “That five-year plan really drives that. We’ve got a big update coming this fall and so students will be seeing surveys and some town halls and probably some focus groups and stuff like that,” Crouch said. When it does come time to build, he said, two things they will have to balance out are proximity and affordability. A closer structure would cost more to park, but a further parking space would be more affordable — which would be the reason for the student and faculty surveys, he said. Tech also compares to other schools with their parking structures and spaces to see how things can fit and to also compare cost, Stacy Stockard, marketing coordinator for Transportation and Park-
ing Services said. “I think we are on some of the lower end compared to other institutions of commuter (parking),” Stockard said. That means there is a wide range of options for students, Crouch said. Parking on campus is not just built to suit students who live on campus, but built around students who live off campus, want to park closer and want to park cheaper. Affordability of some of Tech’s parking spots gives off more options than many other universities. The department has also looked into joining up with other businesses and apartment complexes close to the campus about leasing space, however all of those discussions have only been internally, Crouch said. “We’ve had a lot of excess commuter inventory for a while and that’s just now starting to kind of shrink down a little bit on us,” he said. “And that kind of funny because we’ve gotten used to having a little excess now and that feels uneasy.” @MichaelCantuDT
CITY
Former Tech football players indicted on burglary charges The three former Texas Tech football players arrested for burglary of a habitation were indicted by a West Texas grand jury on Tuesday after being accused of stealing seven guns from a Lubbock home. The initial crime occurred between Dec. 20 and Jan. 9, when Robert Castaneda, 20, Dakota Allen, 20, and Trace
THE PROCESS DEC. 20
Crime occurred
Ellison, 18, broke into a home and stole seven guns worth more than $14,000 according to the Associated Press. The crime is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Castaneda, who was arrested
Burglary reported
JAN. 9
on May 27, was the first to have an arrest warrant put out by Lubbock Police according to the Associated Press, and he did not initially tell officers who else was involved in the crime. He eventually gave up the jersey numbers of the other
two men. Ellison was arrested on June 1, followed by Allen on June 2. All three individuals were released from Lubbock County Jail with a $5,000 bond according to the Associated Press. All three men were dismissed from the football program on May 5 for failure to uphold studentathlete expectations, according
Three players are kicked off the team
MAY 27
@DailyToreador
Allen arrested
Castaneda arrested
MAY 5
to a previous article in The DT, and the university said then they would not comment further on the situation. None of the former players are currently enrolled in classes for the fall semester according to the Associated Press. A trial date has not been announced at this time.
JUNE 1
Ellison arrested
JUNE 2
Source: Associated Press
JUNE 7
All three indicted by grand jury