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PAGE 5 WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 19. 2007 Ten questions for Dr. Sethna regarding Parking Services By Johnathan Davis Guest Columnist jdavis23 @ my.westga .edu In this past week’s West Georgian, I couldn’t help but notice that Dr. Sethna, while making a valid point about the tone of the article and clarifying a misconception about the hangtags, completely failed to address the articlescentral complaint: that Parking Services provides neither parking nor service. He also mentioned the $35/S2O parking fine combo, but did not address how the fine is exceedingly punitive, and how frequently more than 50 percent of the ‘combo’ is knocked down in appeals once the case is reviewed. Because he failed in addressing this, he also failed to address how unfair this is for students who don’t have an excess of free time to state their case to Parking Services in the appeals process. He failed to address the issue of why we’re building so many more buildings on the campus and increasing enrollments, seemingly without any public plans to increase the parking in a substantial sense. He did not respond to the accusation that, except for a few specially designated “tow-away zones” (which are almost always parking spaces designated for higher faculty such as deans Want to Advertise to College Students? Advertise in THEIR Newspaper!!! Advertise HERE! Rates cards available in The West Georgian’s door, office or by request at: paperads@westga.edu (via e-mail or fax). Students, Faculty, and Staff: Did you know you could place Classified Advertising? Place your textbooks, car, small business, or whatever else you need to sale here! 30 words or less with a border for $7.00! Interested? E-mail Stephanie at: paper ads @ westga .edu and chairs, or Aramark personnel), people are never towed when they park in outrageous ways or places. He did not address how the hangtag system is pretty much pointless, because if you’re not a student or member of faculty, you don’t have to pay. Here, he may have been able to make an argument for the “tier” system in play on hangtags, where faculty hangtags have a different color from on-campus students, who have a different color from commuter students. This keeps commuter students from parking in spots near the dorms, which prevents dorm students from having to park their car far from their residence. This also allows faculty to park closer to their classes, preventing classes from being delayed or cancelled because the instructor is unable to procure parking. However, he did not make this argument, choosing to dodge the question entirely. He avoided giving those wayward students who refuse to register their cars with Parking Services a reason to subject themselves to holds on their accounts; no benefit is made clear by Dr. Sethna to having Parking Services, at all, in fact. He fails to address why our Parking Services personnel, with their high-tech equipment that enables them to print tickets in seconds from their hip and have hand-held radios, are completely incapable of cross-referencing the plates of registered vehicles when it comes to writing the ticket, but suddenly gain this clairvoyance when it comes to putting the hold on our student accounts. He also says nothing about why, in a time of increasing gas prices. Parking Services drives new gas-powered carts and never offer rides to students who are going their way. The motives behind the policies of Parking Services seems to many students to be inscrutable, and an article written by an angry and questioning student is not remedied by a point by-point response to the questions. He responds not with an apology, but a lecture on “civility”, given in a condescending manner by a university President ,who until that last article, held nothing but my highest esteem both personally and professionally. So, let me address this directly to Dr. Sethna: 1 have heard you speak in the past, and I believe you are a brilliant man of excellent vision, with unimpeachable character and impeccable leadership. However, in reading this article, 1 think you were too quick to judge the word usage and too quick to dismiss content. That is fine, we’re all only human,and it’s been scientifically shown that humans have a tendency to shy away from information that they don’t want to hear and latch on to arguments and ideas that support what they support. As students at this university, many of us face this every time we have to produce a theses, write research papers, or make arguments in a debate. Because your objection to Jacob Lovell’s article seems to be that it came too close to invective, I implore you to read through my proceeding comments, and see the points that you did not touch upon. I’ve even given you an argument you can use for one of them (I'm not without sympathy to the administration position, I’ve paid into Parking Services a couple times, and I’d like to believe the money I’ve paid is not in vain). I’ve struggled to prove this university’s administration to be right, and except in one case. I cannot find any reasoned response to the questions posed by Mr. Lovell: 1) Why are the parking fees so punitive? 2) If they are assigned reasonably in most cases, why are they overturned so often? If they are not assigned reasonably, what are you doing or going to do to affect Disclaimer The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of West Georgia, the staff of the West Georgian, or the Mass Communications department. CUTE 2 BR 1.5 Bth Hz. 4 Rent Close to downtown C'ton and UWG Wood floors, tile in kitchen and baths Gas heat & cooking/CH& $650m0. $650 dept. $25 credit ck. Call: 770-616-5203 FOR RENT! 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Those hopes were dashed when all Parking Services and Public Safety seem to do was put up some lights and paint lines. 5) If the university has it in the budget to market the university on radio and in newspapers, as well as to build a new' multi-million dollar stadium, as well as to build several new buildings of limited scope, then where is the money to increase parking? 6) Why is it the policy of Parking Services to not cross-reference the on-campus registration database before the writing of a ticket, only to cross-reference it later to attach to the student account? Classifieds FI II WI ST GEORGIAN 7) Why isitthe policy of either the Parking Services department, or the purchasing department to acquire GAS-powered carts year after year, when gas prices are increasing (likely increasing the cost of operating these vehicles), in lieu of electric-powered carts that likely do the job just as well? 8) What benefit is there for a student to register his vehicle with Parking Services, when his registration will only be used against him to hold his registration? 9) Do you. Dr. Sethna, have a special parking spot set aside just for you? And if so, if someone parked in it, would that car be towed? 10) Do you consider as a President and former State University Chancellor, to entirely evade the questions and concerns of a university student in favor of publicly lecturing that student on the proper way to phrase his concerns? If you can directly, honestly, and fully respond to these questions, I think you’ll have restored the esteem to those such as me, whom you have offended with your evasive and dismissive reply. I still consider you to be a top notch educator and an excellent administrator, but those are professional judgments. Can you respond to those questions?