P assing the proposed hardship parking bill is an easy way for Student Congress to make life easier for students whose college experience is more difficult than most.
Student Body Vice President Kyle Villemain proposed a bill that would incorporate UNC staff members into the allocation process for hardship parking, which is given to students who have medical, family or other emergency reasons for needing a parking permit.
While the process should remain student-led, Villemain is right that adding a staff member would create better standards for approval. If someone is approved for a pass one year, then someone in a similar situation five years later should also be approved. That’s the kind of institutional memory no student group can feasibly maintain.
The bill also encouraged Congress to make the application for hardship parking an online one. This would further improve the application’s accessibility.
The bill passed the Rules & Judiciary Committee on Nov. 18, and its intricacies will be discussed this week. The full Congress should adopt the bill and begin finding the appropriate staff members to serve on the allocation committee.
Students in need of hardship parking shouldn’t have to endure the current hassle and wait time associated with the hardship parking approval process. Let’s help where we can.
