Parking is a major concern for students at the University of Regina, and on Friday they were able to tell the administration just how bad they think it is.
A hundred students attended a forum to raise concerns and make suggestions about how to make the situation a littler easier.
“They’ve never really taken to consult students before, and this is definitely new for them,” University of Regina Student Union President Kent Peterson said. “The student union shouldn’t have had to ask for it, but we did, and they were gracious enough to hold a parking forum.”
University President Vianne Timmons listened to questions and concerns, telling students all suggestions and complaints would be taken into account. The university hopes to come up with some solutions by next week.
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“Students who come to campus want to get to class quickly, they’re very much warranted and we’re doing our best to respond to their concerns,” Timmons explained.
“I was so proud of the suggestions from the students and the thought and the effort.”
Finding a spot to park on campus can be difficult. The university oversold parking passes by 25 per cent this year and increased parking ticket fines by $50.
Some of the solutions by students included building a parkade, promoting car pooling and renting the parking lot at nearby Conexus Arts Centre.
“They’re positive solutions and creative,” Peterson said. “Some that I didn’t even think of, so I hope this will be part of the regular decision process at the university.”
Timmons acknowledged not all decisions can go through the students, but the university wanted to make sure students had a chance to raise concerns about an issue important to them.
She feels there’s already enough student representation on the Board of Governors and Senate, but is willing to look for other ways for students to get involved in decision making.
“We feel we do consult all the time on every issue that we really weigh in, so the challenge is, how to consult more?” Timmons asked.
For the students in the audience, the forum is a good start.
“As the president of the university, I think she needs to see what the students are going through, and I think her coming here meant a lot to us students,” Farheen Surtie explained.
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