Pamela Engel • For The Post • pe219007@ohiou.edu
A proposal from Parking Services recommending that Ohio University faculty and staff pay to park on campus has garnered mixed reviews.
The proposal, which was presented to the Budget Planning Council last Friday, calls for a charge of $150 for the 27 Dark Green lots and Purple lots on campus, and $325 for six lots around College Green. Fuel-efficient vehicles would receive a 20 percent discount while faculty members who carpool could park free of charge.
Part of this is raising enough money to adequately maintain our lots
but another part of it is to maintain a pedestrian-friendly campus and to improve our carbon footprint said Harry Wyatt, associate vice president for Facilities.
The proposal would generate an estimated $518,625 annually for Parking Services and the money would be used to balance the department's $350,000 annual budget. The extra money will pay for upkeep and maintenance for the lots, according to the proposal.
There are a lot of questions about it and ... I've been inundated with feedback said Jeff Fulk, classified senator and member of the council. Most reactions from the staff has been negative. From the responses I've seen
the price was a big surprise.
Faculty Senate will discuss the proposal in a future meeting, said Joe McLaughlin, Faculty Senate chairman and council member.
I'm disappointed that a proposal was brought to (the council) before it was discussed with the constituent senates
McLaughlin said. Everybody is going to see this as an issue of compensation
and giving people a mandatory fee is going to look like a pay cut. So I'm sure that reactions to this are going to be tied very closely to what the university ends up deciding to do on raises.
Student Senate passed a resolution supporting the measure Wednesday.
The goal is to create a more pedestrian-oriented campus
said Emily Bacha, Student Senate's vice president.
Senators pointed out that OU faculty and staff are currently spared from parking charges.
Students pay to park. Faculty at our peer institutions pay to park
said Molly Davis, senator for the Honors Tutorial College.
Student parking permits cost $105, while the fees at other public universities in Ohio average between $100 and $250.
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