Many of the 24-hour reserved parking spaces on campus are empty in the evenings, and student senators say students should be allowed to park in those spots in the evening.
At the Student Senate meeting Wednesday, Student Services Chair Daniel Pearson, a senior political science major, said that senators will gather data to see how many 24-hour reserve spots are being used in the evenings by the reserve-spot holder, how many are being used by students and how many are not being used at all. Pearson said the data will be presented to the Faculty Senate and Parking, Traffic and Transportation Services (PTTS) in November in hopes that the 24-hour reserve spots that are being underutilized will be turned into 12-hour reserve spots.
Pearson said that although data was collected last year for this proposal, it is being collected again because a more efficient and better way of conducting the research was established.
“We looked at 24-hour spots and noticed how they were being underutilized, and this was occurring during the evening hours when students need to be as close to campus as possible,” Pearson said. “We can’t force the change; we can only give our recommendation. Hopefully, Faculty Senate and PTTS will be in agreement with us.
Pearson said that although more parking is being added, it is located far from campus and is not helpful to students in the evenings because it is unsafe and time inefficient.
Senators also discussed the possibility of extending outbound dining services to off campus restaurants.
“Senate has progressive ideas that obviously we have to investigate,” Pearson said. “We are just in the preliminary stages of expanding the outbound services.”
Pearson said that restaurants, such as McDonald’s, Wings ‘N More, Subway, Whataburger and Jack in the Box will be considered as possibilities for expanding the meal plan options.
Kevin Capps, external affairs chair and a sophomore history major, said that if this is something students want, then they should show their support by suggesting restaurants that they would like to include in the Outbound option.
“Students like to eat off campus,” Capps said. “We want to help them in a way that can benefit everyone. Businesses will benefit by increasing patronage, benefit the University by making additional revenue on meal plans and the students by giving them more options.”
Student Body President Schuyler Houser, in her report to the senators, encouraged them to talk to the administrators and get student input about the excellence fee that is being proposed by A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen. The excellence fee will charge new students coming into A&M a $30-per-credit-hour tuition fee to help cover the $6.2 million budget deficit that occurred this year.
“I can’t express to you how important the excellence fee is, this is a really big deal for the University,” Houser said.
Other official business at the meeting included an Aggie Alcohol Awareness Week Resolution and a resolution of Condolences to the University of Wyoming, where on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2001 eight student athletes were killed in a car accident.