Fayza Salah, summoned the “spooky” Associated Students of the University of Nevada, Reno on the “witchy” Wednesday of Oct. 25. Many of the students at the senate table were dressed in costumes for Halloween.
Title IX updates
Arthur-James Okwuosa, the director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility and Harely Guerrero, the director of campus wellness told the table that they spoke with a representative from the UC school system to discuss how to put together a student advisory board for Title IX. Guerrero added that the advisory process is still in the making.
S.R. 91 A Resolution To Introduce Parking Payment Plans On Campus
Joelle Pickrell, a senator for the College of Science, introduced this resolution to the committee on safety, sustainability and wellness before it was brought for a second reading in the senate.
The parking resolution was introduced to add a monthly payment plan option for students who want to purchase a parking permit, whether it may be annual or for a semester and add an option to cancel their permit at any time after one month of service. The goal is to make parking more accessible on campus.
Erin Shaffer, the speaker pro tempore, asked if Pickrell had already brought this to parking service. Pickrell said she spoke with parking services, and they said it would be difficult to implement.
Joel Martin, a senator for the College of Liberal Arts, added that the blue and green passes already have an increment payment option.
Makayla Mirth, a senator for the College of Business, asked if there are repercussions for not making a payment to which Pickrell said this was not brought up in their meeting. Tori Beaulac, a senator for the College of Science, added if a student was late on a payment, they would have a hold on their enrollment until they paid, but this was not written in the piece.
Jefrin Jojan, a senator for the College of Engineering asked if parking services were actually willing to add an option to cancel their parking permit.
“Honestly, it seems like something [parking services] wouldn’t want to do because they want all the money rather than the risk of someone canceling and having to find someone else to fill that parking place,” Jojan said.
Pickrell said this was not talked about with parking services, but there are already refund options in place as is. Martin said the refund has increments of deductions depending on how long you have a pass for.
Pickrell also reiterated the piece would apply to faculty and students.
“For too long, students have been haunted both literally and metaphorically by parking passes and the absurd prices they have to pay. So I like this legislation,” Jojan added as a comment to the discussion.
Martin takes another stance on this piece. Martin loved the piece, but he doesn’t believe it’s needed. Martin argues the blue and green parking passes, which are the cheapest, already have payment plans, which is who this piece would be for in regards to those having trouble with paying for parking.
He adds that there are no supply-and-demand issues because the parking fills up quite fast, and there’s no trouble with people paying and argues that’s his “qualm” with the piece.
Martin also said this resolution is “digging a grave for parking services” because they have to chase down all the people and put holds on their account, creating a “chain reaction” towards the accounting and other departments. Though, Martin tells the table he’s not anymore on the parking services side than they are.
Shaffer reminds the table that this is a resolution to close the gap for students that need parking payment options, and it’s not their job to figure out the logistics for parking services.
Martin added that they already have two parking pass options with these payment plan options and they work for those options, but his constituents have also told him they have the same concerns for this piece. He said his constituents believe it takes away from the waiting list because people already have the money up front to pay for it.
“If you are privileged enough to be able to pay in full at the moment, does that give you priority over other students?” Salah asked.
“I’m just saying … I don’t know, does it?” Martin asked.
Aween Ali, a senator for the College of Engineering, said she understands that point of view, but it’s just an introductory piece to show parking services of the struggles students face and deal with the technicalities later.
Beaulac said the lack of parking has nothing to do with students that can’t pay and saying that students who can pay in full should get their spaces first is “kind of bad.”
Frobes added that the payment plan is optional, so it’s just giving people the option and accessibility if they cannot pay in full.
Jojan said it’s not “rocket science” and that parking services should be able to figure out the logistics. He also told Martin that having money up front should not put someone ahead in the parking options. He then references “The Communist Manifesto” to reiterate his point and encourage accessibility.
Leaf Acklin, a senator for the College of Liberal Arts, said, “I don’t mean to speak for Senator Martin, but I don’t think what he was trying to say is it’s a point of privilege to pay up front. I think it’s just if everyone pays up front and makes parking services’ jobs a lot easier … I think [Martin] was just trying to understand parking services’ job and how effectively and efficiently they do their job.”
Salah then reminds the tables they are advocates for students not parking services.
Martin then tells the table he’s echoing his constituents’ disdain since they’re on the waiting list, and he is not a “lobbyist” for parking services. He argues instead they should try to lower the prices because this piece is helping parking services by telling them they want to pay the full parking price instead of trying to decrease it.
Emma Doty asks whether students would have to pay during summer and winter months if not on campus, which Pickrell said she would take into consideration and bring forward to parking services.
Salah also adds that resolutions aren’t guaranteed, but a strong recommendation to send off the parking services and to work towards going forward.
The piece was passed with only one ‘nay’ from Martin.
Jaedyn Young can be reached at jaedynyoung@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @jaedyn_young3.
