Parking permit | ESU Bulletin

Photo Illustraion by John Henningsen/The Bulletin

Green parking permits are now available to off campus students.

The permits – which go for $70 each – have traditionally been reserved for residents of student housing. But this year’s 4.6 percent enrollment drop created an unexpected parking surplus in some green permit zones, according to Capt. Chris Hoover, director of police and safety.

It has also created congestion around the Towers complex, where most residents are incoming freshman.

“The freshman parking lot is always full,” said Mason Teeter, a freshman majoring in business administration. “It makes me not want to leave so I don’t lose my spot. And when I do leave, I have to drive around for 15 minutes just to find another one.”

The green permits are being offered to off campus students in order to relieve parking congestion in other areas, Hoover said, and to gain revenue. A few green permits had already been sold and there are also plans to add meters to the Morse parking lot.
“If I am late to class in the morning, then I use the meters,” said Carlos Urgiles, sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major. “If I am not late or am going to take more than a couple hours, I just find free parking on the streets somewhere. I am already wasting money on gas so I have to balance the expense someway.”
Hoover said he would like to see an increase in revenue from the new meters because revenue has decreased due to the decline in enrollment.

Police and Safety records for 2009 show incomes of about $100,000 from all permits, $87,000 from meters and $74,500 from tickets and other violations. This money goes to maintain parking lots and meters, Hoover said, and to pay salaries of police and safety employees and updating equipment.

“The meters are more fair in my mind,” Hoover said. “Anybody can use them. All you have to do is have a quarter and it still generates some revenue.”

Because of the cost, Hoover said the department will relocate old and repaired meters for the lot. A few students have complained about malfunctioning meters, a problem Hoover said is bound to happen due to old meters and the number of meters, which makes it hard to maintain them all.

Hoover said that members of police and safety do not actually test the meters regularly because they are tested every day by the people who use them. If a meter is not reading the correct time, Hoover said he or another officer check the meters but most of the malfunctions are dead batteries or jams.

“We need to be notified that it is malfunctioning,” said Hoover. “We do try to keep them in functioning order and as with any device things malfunction. It is a machine and machines are not going to be working correctly all the time.”

Rocky Robinson

Class scheduling dates

The last day to withdraw from classes will be Oct. 28. However, students who wish to drop a class and have no record of it on their transcript need to do so within the first 10 days of classes, according to the Registration Office.

To add a course within the first five days of classes, an add/drop slip with an adviser’s signature needs to be submitted to the Registration Office. After the fifth day of classes, students will need the instructor’s signature in addition to their adviser’s. Students cannot add courses after the tenth day of classes.

The Bulletin Online

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Ramadan events

In honor of the Islamic holiday Ramadan, the Muslim Student Association will be hosting Community Breakfasts at the Islamic Center of Emporia. The Islamic Center, located at 1125 Mechanic St., will host breakfasts every weekend and a few times throughout the week, said Wasem Eszl, doctorate student in Library Information Management and President of the Muslim Student Association. Breakfasts will continue throughout Ramadan, which is from Aug. 22 to Sept. 20.

The Muslim Student Association will also have a promotional table on Main Street. For more information about these events, email the Muslim Student Association at msa@emporia.edu.

Parking permit reminder

Students who have been granted parking permits need to report to the parking office to pick up said permit. If students do not pick up their permit by August 28, unclaimed permits will be released to students who are on the waiting list, said Chris Hoover, public service executive.

Students can buy green, violet and grey permits. Green and violet permits are $75 per year and $50 per semester. Grey permits are $50 per year and $30 per semester.