Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Class starts at 10 a.m., but that doesn’t mean I can just get there at 9:50.
No, I have to get up around 8:30 a.m., get ready and leave around 9 a.m., a full hour before class even starts.
Why? A little thing called parking.
We all face this problem, and the University is fully aware. But what has it done to help? It decided to take away more than 200 parking spots, of course. The Athletics Department doesn’t seem to think this is a big deal.
An article in The Kansan quoted Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, saying he’d never heard any complaints about the parking situation.
There must be some major wax build-up in his ears, because we are complaining.
Since the decrease in parking, Mondays around 11 a.m. have been the hardest for me.
I usually try to park by the Student Recreation Fitness Center in the yellow parking. It is almost impossible to find a spot, and I usually get there at 10:20 a.m. circling around until around 10:50 a.m., when I see several students finally leaving. By this time, I’m late for class unless I run up the hill.
Don’t get me started on the new Anderson Family Football Complex.
I feel inferior to the athletes of KU. The athletes get better treatment than any other students on campus. I don’t think they need another practice field, let alone two 100-yard practice fields.
Talk about a waste of space and destruction of nature just to make sure our athletes are comfortable.
Even though the Athletics Department states this facility won’t interfere with walking down the hill, I disagree.
It won’t be the same walking down the hill with two huge practice fields on the right and a huge two-story facility on the left.
I enjoyed the scenic view down the hill. Now it will just look like some temple devoted to KU athletes as we walk down the hill.
I shouldn’t be surprised that the Athletics Department gets what it wants without any consequences.
It’s funny that the Athletics Department and the Design and Construction Management Department promised to replace every parking spot that they took away. But when they realized they couldn’t find anywhere to replace the spots, they just said, “Oops, sorry,” and the University let them get away with it.
Apparently they can do that because they have “celebrity” status.
To the students who have to get a yellow pass, the first thing you need to learn is how to become a vulture.
Yes, I love stalking random people as they walk to their cars. Now I’ve gotten to the point of rolling down my window and asking the person, “Hey, are you parked in this row?”
There’s nothing more frustrating than following drivers all the way down a row only to see them cross over to the next row, where another vulture waits to grab their spot.
But I will suck it up and stick it out for my next two semesters. I will get up early and turn into a vulture every morning because by the time the University decided to do something about it, I’d be long gone.
But don’t think that my fellow classmates will let this situation go unnoticed and unchecked.
By the time I’m gone, Marchiony and the Athletics Department will wish their ears would stop ringing from all the complaints.
Earles is an Olathe senior in journalism.
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Comments
Earles: Complaints about parking growing louder
Marchiony was referring to the parking lots around the stadium when he stated he has never heard a problem. The reporters of this paper were the ones who miconstrued his statement. Since you wouldn't dare park in those spots due to the longer walk it would cause you, you are like most other students on this campus. Have you ever see those lots full? I don't think so, and that making Marchiony correct. Finally you love the view of the hill and being able to walk down into MEMORIAL STADIUM. That's right, you hate athletics and all of its "stuff" but you like walking into their stadium. Maybe they should take that away from you as well and see how valuable YOUR hill is. This hill is special because of the stadium, the stadium is special because of athletics. Heaven for bid that your university and your athletic department want to put the best team possible on those fields. Also what nature are those practice fields ruining? The asphalt parking lots? Mother nature most be rolling over in her grave now that we are putting two large grass areas over those large black asphalt spots. Hopefully she doesn't punish us...
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