After reading Paul Welch’s comments in the article “Parking problem does not exist,” I felt insulted on several levels.
I stepped foot on this campus as a freshman seven years ago. I have watched MSU undergo constant change. One of the most constant, and unfortunate, changes that MSU undergoes is the worsening of the student parking situation.
To state “we do not have a parking problem” is similar to a former president saying “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” I would hope that the officials of this university are above bold-faced lies, so I can only assume that Mr. Welch has no clue as to what constitutes a “parking problem.”
I find it mildly insulting that the students of this university are expected to believe such a farce when we are the ones that experience this imaginary problem on a daily basis. The problem is not limited to only students, either. While I would not dare speak for the faculty as a whole, I will say that several of them are mocking the statement that there is no parking problem on campus.
I also find it very insulting that the students are expected to believe that building more staff parking lots will help student parking. I can understand the argument that building 100 new staff spots could potentially mean that up to 100 staff cars will be gone from lots that contain both student and staff. However, I doubt this will actually change much for the students. I cannot fathom how taking parking places away from students and turning them into staff parking will help, either. I also think this counteracts the idea of creating more staff parking if you eliminate an equal number of student spots.
Does anyone else have a problem with this trickle-down effect? I think one student I talked to today put it best by saying it reduced the students down to beggars asking for scraps. Please, sir, may I have another parking place?
As for the parking lots that Mr. Welch mentioned, I have a problem with those statements, as well. The “swamp lot” that Mr. Welch referred to was completely full today. Not a single open spot. Also, Mr. Welch mentioned the lots behind Hamlin and Duggar. What he failed to mention is that lot is the new designated parking for Suttle Hall since its residents have been told that their parking lots will be closed off soon (at least according to five separate students I talked to). I can’t help but wonder how many of those “450 seldom-used spaces” are going to be occupied shortly.
I would also like to counter another argument put forth by Mr. Welch. He says, “It is possible for you to go all four years without a ticket,” provided you don’t break any laws. This is simply not true. Twice as an undergraduate, with two different cars, I received tickets for parking with no decal when my decal was clearly visible on my car. I had to argue for hours to get the ticket removed, too. This problem is not limited to me, either. My wife has had a couple of tickets for no decal that she, too, had to argue to get removed. In talking with students around The Union where they were conducting surveys about traffic today, it seems this is a far more common occurrence than it should be.
Going back to what I was saying about not having a clue about what exactly a “parking problem” is, I have a couple of suggestions. First, I gladly invite Mr. Welch to ride with me some morning during my quest for a parking place. I suggest leaving at least 30 minutes free for this fun time together. My other suggestion, if Mr. Welch is unwilling to ride with me, is that he swap decals with me for a few weeks. If there truly is no parking problem, then I am positive that he will have no trouble finding a suitable student parking place that is conveniently located next to the building in which his office is located.
Chad Hammons is a graduate student in engineering.