2008 Woodie Awards
Location of parking deck a problem
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Rocket Letters
To the editor:
As co-organizers of Leave It Green, we would like to weigh in on the issue of a parking garage on Old Thompson Field.
To start out, we want to say that SRU has been more than generous with parking. The campus provides us with plenty of spaces at a very cheap cost. The bulk of complaints regarding parking come from commuters who literally drive across the street to campus.
We believe that what faces SRU is not a parking problem, but a walking and biking problem. It takes less than 20 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the other, and the Happy Bus is constantly circling the university and surrounding apartment complexes. There is no reason to be driving such minimal distances, especially with gas prices as high as they are, only to spend more time hovering in lots to find a closer parking spot when it would have taken less time just to walk or bike to the destination.
Leave it Green is definitely in support of a parking garage. This will provide more spaces to accommodate the increasing student population, and will have a smaller ecological footprint while doing so.
However, the issue we have is with its proposed location. Old Thompson Field is utilized daily by the physical education department, intramurals teams and club sports, as well as by community members and individuals who just want to go out on a nice day for a game of Frisbee or football.
This field is also used by camps, Relay for Life, and many other campus activities. Why not build the garage on an already-paved area?
West Lake parking lot is just as close to the quad, and no additional green space would have to be compromised to build there.
As the green space on SRU's campus is already diminishing at a rapid rate, we cannot afford to lose any more. We want to keep our campus as beautiful and green as possible. As such, Leave It Green advocates for a parking garage provided it is placed on an already-paved area, and not on Old Thompson Field.
Rachel DeWolf and Dan Cannon
Co-organizers
Leave It Green
As co-organizers of Leave It Green, we would like to weigh in on the issue of a parking garage on Old Thompson Field.
To start out, we want to say that SRU has been more than generous with parking. The campus provides us with plenty of spaces at a very cheap cost. The bulk of complaints regarding parking come from commuters who literally drive across the street to campus.
We believe that what faces SRU is not a parking problem, but a walking and biking problem. It takes less than 20 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the other, and the Happy Bus is constantly circling the university and surrounding apartment complexes. There is no reason to be driving such minimal distances, especially with gas prices as high as they are, only to spend more time hovering in lots to find a closer parking spot when it would have taken less time just to walk or bike to the destination.
Leave it Green is definitely in support of a parking garage. This will provide more spaces to accommodate the increasing student population, and will have a smaller ecological footprint while doing so.
However, the issue we have is with its proposed location. Old Thompson Field is utilized daily by the physical education department, intramurals teams and club sports, as well as by community members and individuals who just want to go out on a nice day for a game of Frisbee or football.
This field is also used by camps, Relay for Life, and many other campus activities. Why not build the garage on an already-paved area?
West Lake parking lot is just as close to the quad, and no additional green space would have to be compromised to build there.
As the green space on SRU's campus is already diminishing at a rapid rate, we cannot afford to lose any more. We want to keep our campus as beautiful and green as possible. As such, Leave It Green advocates for a parking garage provided it is placed on an already-paved area, and not on Old Thompson Field.
Rachel DeWolf and Dan Cannon
Co-organizers
Leave It Green
