The Barometer Online

Issue date: 3/7/05 Section: News

High tension got a new definition Friday morning as the university Parking Committee reconvened for the first time since last month's cancelled meeting.

"We're just about at capacity for this room," said committee chair Vincent Martorello, as ASOSU representatives packed in extra benches.

Several parking enforcement officers and Parking Services staff also attended the meeting.

As the committee began an item-by-item review of ASOSU's recent parking proposals, one committee member voiced concern over the presence of a Barometer reporter.

"We can't have open conversation with the press here," one committee member said.

No other other committee members echoed that view -- saying that the meeting was open to the public and that there was nothing to hide.

The debate over the debate continued as committee members engaged in an often heated discussion about the role e-mail should play in committee discussions.

The e-mail debate -- spurred by a recent flurry of committee e-mails discussing ASOSU's parking proposals -- took up more time that any other issue at the meeting.

Later, a subcommittee was formed to gather information about staff parking regulations at other universities.

Currently, OSU staff permits cost $165, compared to the $120 student permit. Staff are allowed to park in "staff only" spots as well as student and visitor spots.

ASOSU wants that to change, and the subcommittee plans to examine the social and economic issue surrounding any potential rule change.

Ticket stacking -- issuance of multiple tickets for the same offense within a brief time period (usually 24 hours) -- was discussed in the final minutes of the meeting.

ASOSU wants Parking Services to notify offenders by e-mail before tickets stack up. No action on the issue took place at the meeting.

Martorello ended the meeting with a desire to clarify information presented by ASOSU about the new parking structure.

Martorello said the structure will not be "pay-by-day," as ASOSU suggested in an op-ed and advertisement published in the Barometer last week. He said that only visitors will be required to pay on a daily basis.

The new structure, Martorello said, would include two floors of visitor and permit parking and one floor of resident-only parking.

The meeting began with a discussion over the committee's own bylaws -- which in the past have not been cemented.

Martorello said the introduction of bylaws would allow the committee to have a strong structure in place for future members.

Current members were asked to review the proposed bylaws for discussion and vote at the committee's next meeting.

The committee hopes to have any policy changes approved by the end of the school year, but the campus won't notice differences until fall term 2006, after funding issues are approved at the state level.

 

Andrew D. Nealon, staff writer

news@dailybarometer.com, 737-6376

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