---

The Parking Manifesto

The Parking Manifesto represents the combined efforts of candidates, members, and supporters of the Black Tie Party. Though we were not elected, we pledge our combined efforts to continuing to fight for student parking rights on campus. Some of the rights we believe students should have are listed below.

---

WHEREAS, the students of the University of Georgia are the primary reason for the existence of this institution, and the primary stakeholders in its operations;

WHEREAS, many students require automobiles, or choose them as their means of transportation, and must park these cars on their campus;

Be it resolved that the Student Body of the University of Georgia accepts the following articles:

ARTICLE ONE: CENTRAL CAMPUS PARKING

WHEREAS, UGA students pay significant fees to operate three student centers and seven libraries, and need reasonable access to such study areas at all times, even when university transit is on a reduced schedule;

WHEREAS, the parking lot between the Tate Student Center and Student Learning Center (the lower part of N11) ends enforcement at 6 PM, later than all other non-housing lots on campus;

WHEREAS, the lot then remains at near-capacity on almost every weeknight;

WHEREAS, the adjacent Tate Center Pay Lot remains at significantly less than capacity at the same times, due to students’ choosing not to pay to use their student centers;

WHEREAS, the Hull Street Deck (W05) is located near the student centers and is promoted as an alternative to parking in the other lots;

WHEREAS, many off-campus students who utilize The Bus during the day for transportation cannot at night;

WHEREAS, the parking situation is wholly inadequate to serve students’ needs, and forces many students to pay to study at their student centers and libraries, or otherwise not use the centers at all;

Be it resolved that the Student Body of the University of Georgia:

1. Strongly urges Parking Services provide free or reduced price parking, for at least several hours at a time, to all students presenting a valid UGA ID at the Tate Pay Lot and Hull Street Deck after 5:30 PM;
2. Demands that Parking Services open the gates to the SLC lot at 5:15 or 5:30 PM to bring it more closely in line with other lots on campus, and to ease student access to the SLC after most buses have stopped running;
3. Forwards these requests to the appropriate administrators and Parking Services.

ARTICLE TWO: HOUSING PRIORITY LOTS

WHEREAS, Parking Services designates a number of parking lots as “housing priority lots” and enforces permits for these lots until 10 PM, five hours after any other lots on campus;

WHEREAS, enforcement hours and lot signs are not always easily visible;

WHEREAS, many students are unaware which lots have housing priority and which do not, and often receive parking tickets as a result;

Be it resolved that the Student Body of the University of Georgia:

1. Encourages Parking Services and University Housing to more visibly mark housing-priority lots, possibly including different-colored signs, a flag, a light, or an icon of some kind, to be displayed at each lot entrance that includes the enforcement hours for each lot;
2. Demands that University Judiciary and other relevant agencies not recognize parking tickets issued after 5 PM in lots that lack the designated marking, regardless of the lot’s “official” designation, until such marking is present in all housing-priority lots;
3. Requests that Parking Services, Housing, and Judiciary work to educate the student body as to the type of identification that will mark a housing lot;
4. Forwards these requests to the appropriate administrators.

ARTICLE THREE: PARKING DURING FINALS

WHEREAS, the buses operated by campus transit run on a reduced schedule during finals week

WHEREAS, many students have finals at various times of day and may have to make multiple trips from their off-campus residences, only to wait for long amounts of time to get on a bus;

WHEREAS, this situation may lead to students arriving late to important exams that comprise a large portion of a course’s grade;

WHEREAS, academic excellence is a stated goal of the administration of this University, and parking issues are a distraction from that focus;

WHEREAS, all students need to be able to park in lots near the libraries and student centers to utilize these during finals week;

Be it resolved that the Student Body of the University of Georgia:

1. Urges Parking Services to seek substantial student input and revise the current alternative parking plan for use during finals week to insure students can get to study areas and classrooms;
2. Insists that this plan include more lenient parking rules to aid students’ punctual attendance during finals;
3. Forwards these requests to Parking Services and the appropriate administrators.

ARTICLE FOUR: PARKING TICKETS

WHEREAS, Parking Services’ enforcement division issues many tickets each day to students;

WHEREAS, many students feel these tickets are unjust, as the student did not understand the policies that they were violating, or the student had a history of obeying parking regulations;

WHEREAS, it is important that students understand the consequences of violating regulations;

WHEREAS, it is also important that students feel that Parking Services works to their benefit, and only issues tickets when appropriate;

WHEREAS, parking in the wrong lot, when such lot is at less than capacity, does not cause great harm to any other person;

Be it resolved that the Student Body of the University of Georgia:

1. Strongly urges Parking Services to reduce the ticket price for first-time student violators, if the violation is parking in a lot for which they do not have, or are not displaying, the correct permit;
2. Recommends that this reduction drop the price to zero, so that the first ticket issued to a student will serve only as a warning;
3. Suggests that fines for other violations, such as parking in fire lanes or handicapped areas, blocking traffic, or falsifying permits, be increased, as these violations have a direct impact on the well-being of others;
4. Encourages University Judiciary to aid its fellow students in urging that these recommendations be passed;
5. Forwards these requests to Parking Services and the appropriate administrators.

ARTICLE FIVE: THE PRIORITY SYSTEM

WHEREAS, the vast majority of undergraduate students, either by choice or lack of residence hall space, live off campus;

WHEREAS, most off-campus students must drive to their classes each day;

WHEREAS, the parking priority system places undergraduate commuters at or near the bottom of every priority group;

WHEREAS, many commuting students feel they are placed in the least-desirable lots on campus;

WHEREAS, being forced to park far from classes is often cited as a cause of poor punctuality and attendance;

Be it resolved that the Student Body of the University of Georgia:

1. Strongly urges Parking Services to raise the priority level of undergraduate commuters in accordance with their high number and importance on campus;
2. Recommends that Parking Services find and implement alternative ways to help students living off-campus park their cars and move to class as efficiently and quickly as possible;
3. Advises the administration of the University to consider the impact the parking situation has on academics and work to speedily resolve the problem.
4. Forwards these requests to Parking Services and the appropriate administrators.