Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Wednesday, September 15, 1999 Marking, Parking Everywhere \tudentsfind new parking regulations are an albatross around their necks BY MELISSA PANTANO The Battalion hony disalvoathuM s t u dent sits patiently in his car. general studiesfll After fighting through traffic, 15 she gathersrests in the Parking Area rary . Half of tr:l near the ZachiA'Engineering Cen- je to construct s praying that a spot becomes floors where till ila b let,e fr )re llis next class starts - ce, the main dj :as moves U P in 1 ' ne > a Evans Library l 5 Parkin g' Trat:fi e and Tfansporta- e renovations f 1 ( pTTS ) officer informs him that st floor stairwell 111181 rilove * 11S car en moved to ttj^ first 8 lance > Texas A&M seems ™ a peaceful place. But there is a et battle of wits going on be en the student body and the es- IM(—1—B ^Jned Department of Parking and ^^^"mlic TYansportation. ■3ne of the most recent sources and staff memre lonflict coming from the PTTS to dance sals; fffce in Koldus Student Services of Hispanicccllding is the new rule that com- a.m. to 2 p.m piers who wish to park in PA 50 |v must find a new place to wait :y of Houston * I spots to become available, •ff Hispanic He-|ce the lane past the parking pcs now restricts people from ping their cars and waiting, avid Griffin, a sophomore me- nical engineering major, said the rule puts off-campus students disadvantage. ‘What are you supposed to do?” [fin said. “Drive around campus ilaspot is available? 1 don’t think very necessary at all." [Griffin said the new parking rule : lomplishes little beyond annoying ■nmuters. jrPeople are courteous anyway, hd I don’t think the rule will be ef- “tive,” Griffin said. “Waiting in the ual parking row isn’t much better an waiting on the strip.” [DougWilliams, associate director af parking services, said the regula- fw in PA 50 is justified. | The parking in Zachry (PA 50J has been a problem for years,” Williams said. “Traffic parked on ac cess roadways only leaves one lane for two-way traffic. ” Williams said the new rule is in the interest of student safety. “During lunch and in between classes, people get into a hurry,” he said. “It’s safer if that traffic isn’t on the access road.” Some students see the method behind PTTS’s madness, but are still annoyed by the results. Brandon Meyers, a senior con struction science major, said he is frustrated by the current regulations. “On Monday and Wednesday, my classes don’t start until 10 a.m., but I have to get here at 7:15 a.m. in order to get a parking spot,” Meyers said. “I understand that there is a safety issue involved with only one lane being open, but I shouldn’t have to get here that early to find a spot.” Meyers said policies on staff park ing need an overhaul. “They should let people park in staff [spaces] after 4 p.m.,” Meyers said. “Professors are leaving for the day by then, anyway, and no one new is going to show up. There are always empty spots in yellow lot.” Williams said PTTS has plans to cut down on long lines of cars in the parking lots. “We will be expanding Zachry (PA 50) lot by 500-600 spaces,” GUY ROGERS/The Battalion Williams said. “The project should begin right after Bonfire. In the meantime, we are trying to get peo ple to ride the buses to school.” Griffin said that for him, riding the bus is not an option. “I live in a new subdivision named Steeplechase out on F.M. 2818,” Griffin said. “I have to walk four blocks to catch a bus that comes to campus, and even then it takes an hour to get to school.” Students are always finding new ways to skirt parking regulations and take advantage of traffic pat terns on campus. Gregg Johnson, a freshman me chanical engineering major, said that in three weeks at A&M he has learned how to beat the system. “They only have those two little red lots on Southside,” Johnson said. “I’ve found that the easiest way to get into those lots is to move your car on Friday afternoon after everyone has left for the weekend or during the day when people go to run errands.” Even the most placid drivers have problems, and every student has a story to tell about a run-in with the men and women in blue. TTent Varvel, a sophomore me chanical engineering major, said he does not understand why student parking on campus is so scarce. “During move-in week, on Northside I parked in a yellow [staff parking] lot because all of the other spots were taken,” Varvel said. “I left it there overnight, and they called me at 6:50 in the morning to move my car. ” Varvel said sometimes students must surrender to futility. “1 went out there, and there were spots everywhere,” Varvel said. “My car wasn’t hurting anyone, but I still had to pay the ticket.” EJELUI JITH H£Z ??/ The One Thing Truly Worthwhile Is Becoming God’s Friend. John 15.12/f Sunday Nights 7:00 p.m. Praise Singing 7:30 p.m. Teaching and Communion uiMOO N!«.. Open Minded • Seeking • Prayerful • Thoughtful -xperiential • Contemporary • Communion • Ministry lharing • Scripture • Teaching for Your Life • Community Graduate Students • Faculty • Staff • All are Welcome St. Francis Church 1101 Rock Prairie Road, College Station (Across from College Station Junior High) Ph: 696-1491, Email: AJSDoyle@aol.com Sunday Mornings 9:00 a.m. Contemplative Worship 11:15 a.m. Community Worship Faculty, Staff, & Student Leaders! to Editor Graphics Edl» r i, Graphics Editt Opinion Editor !ity Editor Campus Editor eb Editor idio Producer j Kohl, David Lee, I Mai* , Jeff Webb & M e P r I Atchison Kerri Co'jf , Cody Wages , Ruben Deluna, & A#’ jpjt! s, Amy Daugherty Ira Hall, Bobbie Eft lirris & Kyle Whited®' I student Publications. 145-3313; Fax: " pus, local, and nat , and office bouis a First «<. ToeWIV Volunteers Needed! FACT. (First-time Aggie Contact Team) is a program where faculty, staff, & student leaders contact new Aggies to welcome them to the University and ask about their experiences at A&M. EA.C.T. will be conducted Mondays through Thursdays, September 27 - October 14 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Please volunteer your time and energy to help our new Aggies feel at home. If you cannot find a signup brochure in your dept., feel free to call Nicole Walker at 845-5826. The sign-up deadline is September 20. Thank you in advance for your time and commitment. Aggie Orientation Leader Program Student Life Department of Student Life Student Life Orientation lilK UMl Mi # ( 0 ID ID I U U ■ : WiWHTS- THE if— KM FACeiO FACE TOIffilW, MIMi IE.-IW M MSC-Vistial Arts Gallery (2rTd floor of the Memorial Student Center) hREE light refreshments-will be-served For-more-informatiocLor-ta-arrange focspeciaLneedsT tel. 409:845.925Te-mail vac@msc.tamu.edu —