Some students are taking action on a variety of parking issues that will affect the campus beginning in the fall semester.Marie McChargue, marketing sophomore from Gray, is against the construction of the 300-car parking lot that will be built on what is currently the soccer field adjacent to the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Student Center.
McChargue started a petition against the construction of the parking lot during the week of finals. As of press time, McChargue had about 100 signatures.
“I am trying to get as many as possible,” McChargue said. “I gave some (petitions) to St. Thomas Aquinas.”
She plans on getting more signatures during summer school, after which McChargue will submit her petition to University President Stephen Hulbert.
“I really feel like that’s one of the prettiest places on campus and that putting the parking lot there would take away from it,” McChargue said. “It’s an area people like to see green on campus. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for people to walk to class. That’s land that we will never get back.”
Cheryl Jones, educational leadership graduate student from Thibodaux, agrees with McChargue.
“I think that there is enough parking,” Jones said. “That area adds beauty to the campus. I don’t think we want a campus that is parking lots and buildings.”
Other students on campus disagree with McChargue and Jones and believe that another parking lot is needed on campus.
“Half of the time they take our parking spaces for functions that do not pertain to Nicholls State University,” Laverne Chapman, elementary education junior from Gibson, said. “We have paid to park on this campus.”
Savannah Ward, communicative disorders senior from Morgan City, said, “It takes too long to find a parking spot, and if we had more spaces, it would be easier to find a parking spot. With more students we need more parking spaces.”
In August, the University will go before the Board of Supervisors to receive final approval.
“A designer has been hired and has begun the planning process,” Michael Davis, assistant vice president of business affairs for procurement and physical plant operations, said.
According to Davis, work will begin on the new parking lot in October or November. Davis said that originally the University had hoped to start construction in late September, but they are still working on getting a bond council and bankers on board the construction project.
Shawn Little, social studies education junior from Raceland, is disappointed that the University will charge him for a second parking decal. In the past, Nicholls students, faculty and staff who purchased a parking decal could receive a second decal free of charge.
“It was some type of unwritten policy,” Davis said. “Faculty were issued a second decal at no charge. Students, if requested, could get a second decal.”
In the fall, students will lose the opportunity to receive a second decal for free.
According to Davis, this policy made it possible for students, faculty and staff to have two cars on campus at the same time. As a solution to this problem, starting in the fall faculty will be issued hanging tags and get only one hanging tag. Students will continue to be issued parking decals. If a student wants a second decal, that student will have to pay for it.
In a letter addressed to University officials, Little wrote, “I am very disappointed with the recent decision to raise the parking fee. However, it is not the particular raise that bothers me. It is the sudden and abrupt change in the policy of a second vehicle.”
Attached to the letter is a petition against the University charging $50 for a second decal. As of press time, Little had approximately 50 signatures.
“There has never been a charge for a second vehicle, and rather than making a slow adjustment the University has laid it all on us at one time,” Little wrote.
Kati Voisin, secondary education senior from Houma, does not support the sudden increase in the price for a second decal.
“I don’t understand why it had to go up that much,” Voisin said. “What do they need the money for so much now that they didn’t need it before?”
Some students believe that the University can solve the problem of multiple vehicles by issuing hanging tags to everyone.
“The school should replace stickers with hanging tags so that students can register more than one vehicle with the parking enforcement department,” Tommy Nickell, nursing sophomore from Thibodaux, said.
According to Damian Breaux, Student Government Association president, all petitions must be submitted to the SGA. Breaux said that by submitting the petition to the SGA, students will avoid the run around, because University officials will instruct them to bring their petition to the SGA. Breaux said that arrangements will be made if a petition needs to be reviewed during the summer.
Davis said that no petitions were submitted at this time.
