PARKING!

I knew I would get your attention with that.

Well, since I’ve heard multiple concerns about parking, I really wanted to see what we can do to make things better… So, first off, the administration and RUPD really see the problem we have with parking on campus and needing more space. The Parking Committee meets monthly to discuss the upcoming plans for additional parking. There are three major concerns I see with parking at Rice: 1) we don’t have enough space, 2) people don’t get notified when they get tickets, and 3) people don’t like getting tickets.

I can’t really help with the third point. Sorry…

However, I met with the Parking Department and Capt. Rodriguez from RUPD to talk about the other 2 points. First, the Parking Committee is working to consider new spaces around campus, but it may be a few more years before we get a big new addition, like a parking garage.

Second, I have heard major complaints from people that get multiple tickets in a row without ever receiving a notification, and then their car gets towed. After 3 tickets, your car is towed and there is a hefty fine to pay, along with all of your tickets. Since some people forget their cars in faculty lots occasionally, this can happen without ever getting a warning and the chance to move your car. Many universities have automatic parking violation notifications sent by email, but the Rice system is a bit outdated and does not have that capability. Therefore, it wouldn’t be realistic to manually email everyone who gets a violation, but we came to the agreement that people who get 2 tickets in a row will receive an email by 5 pm that day. How does that sound?

Also, the Parking Department will look into the cost of upgrading their system and consider the cost/benefits of this upgrade. Send them your comments if you think it’s important!

Other fun news: Dean Hutch and I had a basketball shooting competition at halftime Saturday – he won, 3 vs. 2. At least I made a couple of shots… And Hutch was TOTALLY lying when he said that he hadn’t picked up a basketball since college…he was probably practicing all day before 🙂

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