The Robert Holland Faculty Senate passed a resolution Friday rejecting a new parking proposal that has been in discussion for the last two semesters.
The new parking proposal increases decal prices from the current $25 to $50 and deducts $10 per month from faculty payroll for gated parking.
The resolution, also rejects any other proposal that increases fees for the faculty because of insufficient pay raises and a current higher cost of living. However, university administration, not the Faculty Senate, has the final say as to whether the parking changes will take effect.
Berk and D’Abramo said the Faculty Senate’s rejection of the new parking plan is meant to be more of a statement to administration that the faculty is distressed over current salary levels.
“The resolution is a louder symbolic resolution to the administration that our salaries are flat and sliding downward,” said Berk. “The administration has been nickel-and-diming [the faculty] for a number of years.”
D’Abramo said this issue goes beyond just the faculty.
“This is something that also hurts the students. They are experiencing tuition increases and parking fee increases also. I think we need to make a statement. Enough is enough,” said D’Abramo.
Vice president for finance and administration Ray Hayes presented the new parking plan to the Faculty Senate last semester. At that time the senators took the new proposal into consideration and asked that Hayes come back to answer more questions. However, Hayes did not return to the Faculty Senate last semester to discuss the issue further.
Under the assumption that the new parking plan had already been adopted, Faculty Senate members Louis D’Abramo and Michael Berk presented a resolution to the Faculty Senate last Wednesday, requesting that the Senate adopt the resolution rejecting the new parking plan.
The resolution states that the faculty understands the university is experiencing a much tighter budget, but that they are experiencing distress because of health insurance increases, decreases in child tuition waivers and salaries that are below the inflationary costs of living.
According to the resolution presented by Berk and D’Abramo, the administration is not showing enough sensitivity to the financial concerns of MSU faculty. They feel that the proposed increases in parking fees without an increase in salaries is “unconscionable.”
The resolution also expressed the failure of Hayes to communicate with the Faculty Senate last semester, stating that the increase in parking fees was adopted without the input of the Faculty Senate and that those actions are inconsiderate to the faculty.
At Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting, Hayes said the parking proposal has not been finally adopted and the subject is still under consideration. Hayes is still awaiting permission from MSU President Charles Lee to finalize the new parking plans, which would take effect in the fall.
“I feel that the discussion [at the Senate meeting] was positive. I agreed salaries are not what they should be,” Hayes said.
Hayes also explained at the meeting that the new parking proposal is meant to fix many of the kinks that are present in the infrastructure on campus right now. He explained that parking services are bringing in a revenue of around $900,000 per semester, but that money is not being put into a designated account.
Currently, funds generated by decal sales and parking fines are incorporated into a general expense account. Only about $325,000 of those funds are being put back into parking services. The rest of the money raised by parking services is being used for other university expenses.
The new parking plan includes a fund designated for parking services. In the new plan, money generated by decal sales and parking fines will go directly to the upkeep of parking infrastructure and services.
The new parking plan requests that faculty parking be gated and closer to the buildings, and that student parking be set into zones. Under the new plan, a student may only park in his or her assigned area of campus. Because of this, Hayes says that he expects the number of parking violations to go down.
If parking violations go down then much of the money generated by parking tickets will also go down. This, along with the cost of repairs and changes needed to implement the new plan, makes the increase in parking fees necessary, Hayes said.
Hayes also said that the new parking plan will benefit both students and faculty by decreasing the level of traffic in the center of campus, making Mississippi State a more pedestrian friendly campus. He said that it should make parking services an independent entity.
Hayes also said that the new parking plan would make the shuttle system more reliable and useful. The shuttle system will take students to and from their vehicles and will allow them to arrive at classes on time.
During the Senate meeting, the question was raised as to whether a faculty member would have the choice to park in a cheaper zone that may be located farther away from their buildings and then ride the shuttle to their classes just like the students. Hayes said that issue had not yet been taken into consideration but agreed to look into it.