By Emily Lohec | Staff Writer
Ask any college student how many times they have rushed to class five minutes before it starts because La Salle was backed up, or they slept through an alarm or they simply forgot they had a class. It happens. We’re all human. You’ve done it too.
Baylor is a wonderful school, hence the student body growth. But with all these incoming and current students, our parking garages, to be frank, are just too small. So why refer to the hectic schedule of a student? When rushing to the late class, there are empty spots in almost all faculty parking lot spots. Now I know these faculty members earned them and we wouldn’t be the university we are today without our professors. But when students are unable to find a spot, they’re going to miss these lectures from our wonderful faculty.
Although appeals are made for those who want to fight the parking ticket, more times than not these appeals are denied by parking services. Granted there are reasons when student blatantly disown the rules in which case there needs to be repercussions.
There are 6,000 parking permits for the garages. If you divide that by 75 days in the semester, that would 80 faculty spots taken up each day by students. This number may seem large but not when factoring in students that may skip, are sick or find other parking spots available in the garages that are not faculty reserved.
I propose a get out of jail, or in this case, a get out of a parking ticket pass, that allows for students to park in a faculty parking spot a semester.
Just as the amount of parking tickets rack up for each student, there can be a track record for the free faculty parking spot offered. Only one. Just one. This would ease the worry and stress of students, not to mention less tardies for professors to have to keep track of.
Some students take the fine for parking in a faculty spot anyway. There’s no shame about it when you’re running late to class. However, most students don’t have the extra pennies to spend on a parking ticket for parking in a faculty spot. Of course, fines can still be given to those who misuse this free offer. When students have used their free parking spot, the one and only free give-away, they are back to the normal track record of getting fines.
This recommendation is in not to disrespect the love we have for our faculty. However, there is an added stress to every late students morning when they can’t get to class on time. A one-time pass will create less havoc in the parking garages, too.
How many times have students collided into each other or have been towed out? Throughout my week, I see at least five cars with bumps, bruises and scraps from the surrounding car chaos. I can assure you, students will feel less rushed to get to class simply knowing they have a back-up option just if need be.
Mornings should be centered around the thought of coffee, getting to class and in your seat worry-free before class starts. Students should not rush in sweating from running to the classroom after sprinting down floor flights of stairs from the top of Dutton. One free faculty parking pass might just do the trick.
