About fifteen people attended the widely advertised campus forum on parking, sponsored by the Student Government Association.

SGA President James Orr, Assistant Director of Public Safety Steve Jahr and Assistant Professor Dan Tracy were panelists for the forum, which explored whether UTM has a parking problem and possible solutions.

Jahr and Tracy agreed that the parking problem as described by students is exaggerated and that the university is in a difficult position to decide where to put parking lots.

Tracy said he has hosted message boards for his business classes about parking issues. He said dominant complaints are that staff are allowed to park in any lot, while students can only park in designated student lots, that staff lots are hardly ever full and that commuters are required to walk a long distance to class.

However, Jahr and Tracy pointed to other campuses in the area and found that UTM’s parking rate is cheaper than many area colleges. But Orr said that UTM’s parking situation should be considered independently of other schools.

Jahr admitted that in his 35 years of experience at UTM that the rate of enrollment increase has outpaced the rate of parking expansion, but he said there is still enough room for people to park.

“There’s nothing written down that says we have to provide parking for everyone. I don’t think we have a parking problem,” Jahr said. “I think we have a parking issue.”

Jahr said that by building new parking lots, UTM would limit itself for building additional classroom buildings.

Jahr and Tracy agreed building a parking garage would not be economically feasible.

Jahr, who handles issues relating to parking for Public Safety, said the Parking Authority is in a fiscally “difficult situation,” after resurfacing several lots.

Tracy said the real issue with parking complaints is not a problem of supply, but rather a problem with demand.

With more than 6,000 students enrolled, UTM now has 3,052 parking spaces as of Fall 2004.

However, Jahr said that is more than enough spaces to accommodate everyone who wants to park on campus.

Tracy said that if students are concerned about prime parking spots, they may be willing to pay more.

Tracy said one solution may be to offer a graduated scale, where parking spaces closer to classrooms are more expensive.

Jahr said UTM will experience a net loss of about 20 parking spaces when Phase II housing construction begins.

Jahr reminded students that it is possible to walk from the farthest parking spot to the farthest classroom building in seven to eight minutes.

Jahr also said that staff stickers are not assigned disproportionately; 20 percent of parking is designated as staff, and the same percentage of stickers purchased are staff members. Orr said he didn’t have any ideas to alleviate parking strain. “I think senators, if they get any ideas, they should e-mail them to me,” Orr said. “I see Senate taking information out and getting ideas, allowing SGA and the administration to tag team (on the parking issue).”

After the forum, SGA Senate held their last meeting of the semester. Orr said the next major undertaking for the Senate should be to hire a university-wide internship coordinator.

“It falls under globalization and what can we do to expand the horizons of the students at UTM,” Orr said. “Internships help diversity.”

Academic Affairs Committee Chair Rebecca Dailey said her committee will propose legislation concerning the position at the next Senate meeting.

The Senate tabled a bill that would require standing committee chairs to meet biweekly in a “Legislative Council.”

SGA also passed legislation recommending the purchase of a SGA bulletin board. The board would be on a wall in the UC and would “display upcoming bills and resolutions (and) internship information.” The board would also serve as a “publicity tool for upcoming SGA events,” the resolution says.

The resolution allows for a $104 4-by-3 foot corkboard with light cherry finish.

SGA also tendered the resignation of Jeremy Johnson as Campus Observation chair. Johnson will be serving as a legislative intern next semester, but he will still attend regular Senate meetings. Keely Gaylord resigned her post as Multicultural Affairs chair and her Senate seat because of time constraints.

David Taylor was nominated and confirmed to replace Johnson as Academic Affairs chair, and Carrie White was confirmed as a replacement in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences.