I rarely take my car onto campus. However, I recently drove to a meeting near the ICT building. I honestly thought parking was free on Saturdays. Silly me. I found a $20 ticket on my windshield when I emerged. "No problem," I thought. "I'll just pay this within seven days and owe only $10."
That Friday, I presented my ticket to the Campus Security Office in the MacEwan Student Centre and was informed, "you pay those at the McMahon Stadium 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays." So much for paying early. Several days later, I thought I'd duck in to McMahon Stadium to pay my ticket.
I admit, I don't attend many university events at the stadium, and I'm still in the dark as to where, exactly, one goes to pay these tickets. I wound up mailing my ticket in as a money order, as one is instructed "do not mail cash."
Many students recently voted for their SU candidates, myself included. Moreover, I do rank among those who believe these positions merely bolster a person's resume more than anything else and that student unions in general are ineffectual bodies at best.
So here's my lowly request to our up-coming SU:
Set up a parking & traffic ticket paying service more convenient for students. In the Campus Security Office in MSC for instance.
That's it. I've long since resigned myself to annual tuition increases (Surprise, SU!). The above request is all I have. It's something I believe is actually possible and not too expensive. Now, let's wait... and see what happens...
Comments
Energies expended on tuition hike prevention is commendable, but also a very low priority, in my opinion. If everything else is tickety-boo, then fine. Rant and rail against tuition increases 'til you're blue in the face. But minding the store comes first. I don't mind contributing to SU salaries, but not when they make low priority issues their primary(!) concern and wind up effectively wasting their time, and hence money, on it.
That's one impression that gets projected anyway.
I realize that Parking isn't part of the SU, and that this ultimately falls under the university's jurisdiction, but I don't think implementing such a "maneuver" should be insurmountable. Does the university receive some hidden kickback? Is necessary additional parking payment software prohibitively expensive? You're part of the Student Union. Surely you're not powerless in such matters? You'd have us believe you could stop tuition hikes, after all.
Someone even expended considerable amounts of energy holding a small rally about it in the MSC foodcourt this week...
You told you'd see what you could do. Thank-you. If you find yourself stymied, send me an e-mail and I'll arrange to speak to the university and Parking Services about this idea myself.
I can't believe the current state of affairs. I lost $10 dollars + the co$t of a money & stamp over this. A negligible amount, sure, but it still aggravates me to no end.
I really don't see why students can't pay campus parking tickets at a place like the Campus Security Office.