The plan to take away the Lee Boulevard parking has many gaping potholes, which will only frustrate visitors and MSU students and staff.In order to erect another memorial for Old Main, the MSU administration may remove the metered and staff parking near the Union. Although trying to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly is commendable, we don’t think it’s that hard to navigate around this area in the first place. The exception to this rule is the fencing around the Union, but that’s obviously necessary for construction and safety.
Moreover, if the administration wants to phase out certain parking places, it needs to do the job properly. As of right now, the parking that might get axed is the only non-gated parking near the Union. When the Union reopens in the fall, both students and visitors will want to utilize the facility. However, if there is no nearby parking, visitors in particular will be discouraged from entering the Union.
Therefore, the parking garage in the Master Plan should be built first, then the parking can be taken away with minimal negative results. Keep in mind that this will also affect MSU staff. So taking away this parking will negatively affect students, staff and visitors.
Another concern is the revenue that will be lost with the eradication of the parking meters. Many parking tickets are also written around this area. Any loss of money for MSU will only increase the chances of higher tuition and fees.
Of course, one of the main reasons this endeavor has been considered is because of another memorial for Old Main. We already have a more than suitable memorial, the Chapel of Memories. Creating another memorial will cheapen the importance of the Chapel, not amplify it. Furthermore, how will they top the Chapel? The whole idea reeks of redundancy and pointlessness.
If the administration goes through with this plan, it should up the ante with the shuttle system. There are already places on campus where the shuttles don’t run, and students and staff will need them even more without the parking on Lee Boulevard. This motion will create a picture of a university with even more inadequate parking.
And would the administration care to come out in the open and just admit that it favors the tailgaters over students? Tailgating will definitely benefit from this new plan, whereas students are just left out again.
Finally, we would also like to point out that the parking around Hull Hall doesn’t need to be phased out, either. There is a Facebook group now that shares the same sentiment. Listen to what students are saying, and don’t stick to fallible construction plans.
The Reflector editorial board is made up of opinion editor Jed Pressgrove, news editor Nathan Gregory, assistant news editor Erin Kourkounis, entertainment editor Aaron Burdette, sports editor R.J. Morgan, photo editor Bud Sorey, online editor Jocelyn Marcus, managing editor Sara McAdory and editor in chief Tyler Stewart.