Parking permits make no sense

Campus Times
September 17, 1999

By now, in only the second week of school, freshmen, transfer students and new faculty who are not familiar with the University of La Verne have more than likely already realized that finding parking spaces is difficult. Unless a 7:30 a.m. class is a part of their schedule, students must arrive on campus at least 15 minutes before class in order to obtain parking.

With the parking issue serving as a perennial problem on campus, students must now submit to a pointless, unnecessary enigma-parking permits.

Parking space is very limited on campus and although students are forced to have parking permits, the University has done nothing to address this problem. It would seem as if the cart had yet again been put in front of the horse with regard to the logic, or lack thereof, to this matter.

The Campus Safety officers issuing the permits in front of Woody Hall do not ask for any kind of identification for people requesting a permit, which means that anyone who wants one can get one. Absolutely nothing is accomplished by that. All the people who have unjustly taken up parking space before are still going to be able do so because they can very easily get a permit.It is known that several Cal Poly Pomona students have recieved the permits.

Any logical person would have to agree that a system of parking permits would be correct and just if the issued permits actually accomplished something. However, the current system does nothing more than create an inconvenience and leaves the administration of this institute open to mockery. Is it necessary to make change for the sake of change? Historically, change without reason is often incorrect, inappropriate and destined to fail.

In addition to the obvious questions of necessity and effectiveness, questions need to be addressed that concern the issues of visitors. Under this current system, there are no visitor or temporary permits. Mothers and fathers would not be able to park on campus without fear of a ticket when all they wanted to do was visit their child. Whether or not temporary permits are headed for us in the future, they should be available right from the beginning of this program. Is this correct for an institution that charges over $15,000 annually in tuition? It would seem that it is not.

Furthermore, how insane is the fact that anyone can get a ticket for driving around with the permit hanging from the rearview mirror? Well, it is the law. It could obstruct one's view. If you forget to put it back on when you park you could, of course, get a ticket for parking without a permit. Confused readers should not worry at this point. It does not make sense to the Campus Times either. If the same readers think they should have been notified of this important detail, well, yes, they should have been.

If the University was serious about addressing parking on this campus, it would explore legitimate means of solving the problem. The answer lies in a parking structure.

Current city programs exist that encourage a partnership between the city of La Verne and private entities to develop facilities that benefit the city. In this case, the private entity would be the University and the facility that would be used for the good of the public would be a parking structure.

Parking is arguably the most critical issue facing this University and year after year the governing powers here do nothing more than provide lip service and non-action filled words about solving the problem.

It is time for authorities to bite the bullet and build a parking structure. The time has come where actions must now speak louder than words and you're at it, rid the students of these inept and asinine parking permits.