This letter is in response to the campuswide email sent by the chancellor dealing with Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee and night parking. With the parking fiasco that is sure to blow up soon, I would just like to make sure that the TPAC takes into consideration that charging fees for night parking or permit only (so therefore charging fees again) is not fair to off-campus students. There are certain services that students pay for in their student fees that allows for yearly use. These fees go toward use of the Student Union and the Student Recreation Center (open until 12 a.m.), Davis Library (24 hours certain nights), Fetzer Gym (open until 10 p.m.), Cobb Tennis Courts and Basketball Courts (open whenever), Paul Green Theatre and many other campus events (Campus Crusade, Campus Y, special group meetings) that go on after academic hours end.
Having a paid permit or hourly fees for parking on campus to use these services in turn makes the off-campus students pay twice for the same product that students living on campus only pay for once. One of the arguments coming from TPAC is that there is a bus service that runs in close proximity to most, but not all, of the apartment complexes. The problem with the bus service is that it ends at 9 p.m., and many, if not all, of the services talked about above do not end at 9 p.m. With paid parking at night and bus services stopping at 9 p.m., much of student life is lost due to lack of ability to partake in an event. You have already stuck an extra $400 tuition increase for the next academic year and many students are not able to shell out an extra $350 for parking per semester at night. I assume that TPAC believes students can walk from their respective places to use the above mentioned services. The safety of walking alone at night is a major concern of students on campus. Last year BOLO was terrorizing students on campus, who knows what will happen next year. The safety of students is being compromised because some students will not be able to afford the night parking fees, therefore having to walk each time at night to use the library or group meeting. TPAC, please listen to the concerns of the students and take into consideration the safety of students and that off-campus students should not be paying twice for services at UNC. The University is trying to pick us of every penny that we are worth, please do not do the same. We are a well run dry -- no money left.
Joey Hoying
Junior
Sociology
