Almost everyone in college complained about one thing... parking. I got around this issue by not owning a car and living within walking distance to campus. However not everyone made this choice; thus I would hear people’s woes.
“ I missed my first class cause I couldn’t find parking” “I spend a lot for my pass and in return get no spots close” “I spent 40 minutes looking for a spot and ended up going home”
It’s easy for me to say I hate complaining when I did not have the same problems but I’m still going to say it. I hate complaining. Students would say it is the schools fault then turn around and not change their own parking habits. Now, it is in part the school fault for not catering to students needs but they also have to think about financing expensive parking spots. Who should advise parking services on the students behalf? In my opinion that should be student government.
As a member of student government my goals were simple. Make students lives better. Therefore improving parking would be a big win. My senior year, the school decided to increase parking costs by 50% for the following year. That is an OUTRAGEOUS increase. The school had good reason with a new parking garage being added but students were not going to like the cost increase. Now although I was going to be gone the next year and I did not pay for a parking pass, I knew this was important to students. It was time for action.
Members of student government and I had several meetings with administrators in which we clearly and professionally gave the students point of view. It was ultimately the school’s decision but we gave them the students side of the story with facts, student rationals, and a suggestion to make the 50% increase only a 25% increase. Several weeks later I got an email saying that the plan was excepted.
::Stop complaining and do something about it::