Spectrum - Volume 20 Issue 03 September 11, 1997 - TO THE EDITOR

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

TO THE EDITOR

Spectrum Volume 20 Issue 03 - September 11, 1997

My question is: How can I, as a faculty member, trade my "F/S" parking sticker for a "C" parking sticker? I would like to park closer to the building where I work, Randolph Hall. The commuter parking lot is closer than most of the faculty/staff parking spaces and I would really like to park there; but, unlike many students who seem not to be bothered about parking in F/S spaces, I feel a little guilty about parking in someone else's place, so I'd like to get my own "C" sticker and legitimately park within a block of Randolph.

Originally providing parking primarily for Randolph and Norris Halls, the Randolph lot has been cut to a third of its former size by the construction of a new building and, needless to say, that now-tiny lot cannot begin to serve the needs of the nearby buildings which now include McBryde, Hancock, Whittemore and the New Engineering Building. While the new building was built, a large portion of the commuter lot was allocated to the faculty and staff, and students were displaced from their parking. Now that the former Randolph lot has been reopened in miniature form, someone seems to have assumed that everyone who has been parking in the former F/S part of the commuter lot can fit into about 15 percent of their former allotment of parking spaces.

But, of course, I'm forgetting about the 15 to 20 spaces being added over near Prices Fork Road and the new spaces being provided near the Duck Pond, all somewhat displaced from the lost spaces they are presumably replacing. Perhaps we can cut down a few more 200-year-old trees as was done to make way for some of the above parking and make some more "convenient" F/S parking places around the president's house.

Meanwhile, Parking Services continues to equip spaces nearest the buildings with meters, effectively discouraging faculty and staff members from parking there. Why is it the only people who ever use those metered spaces are students (look at their parking stickers)?

So, back to my question, can I exchange my F/S sticker for a C sticker? After all, I'd be trading a $50 sticker for a $40 one. Perhaps a student will swap stickers with me.

But wait, next year, as a 30-year employee, I'll get my sticker free! By then all the Randolph lot spaces will be fitted with parking meters or handicap signs, but it won't cost me a cent to park in the new F/S lot out at the by-pass, and I'll be able to get all that free exercise walking through the rain and snow by all those parking meters on the way to my office.

Jim Marchman

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering