Editors seek justification in proposed campus parking changes
By the Editors
You might have heard that university officials are finalizing details of a parking lot proposal.
The original proposal included paving a 141-space lot at 24th Street and Kentucky Street, but this could change with administrative wishes to plant islands of trees in and around the lot.
While we understand creating a more visually appealing campus is vital for attracting donors and “going green,” we also know there is a demand for on-campus parking.
Some campuswide beautification projects are clearly justifiable, such as the as “The Blackwelder Mall Plan,” because it wasn’t funded by the university. The project was used to fill Blackwelder Avenue from 23rd Street to 27th Street with plant life and was funded in part by the Margaret Annis Boys Grant in May 2009 by the Oklahoma Community Foundation.
Planting trees in the lot at $200 each, which could reduce the initial number of spaces proposed by officials, isn’t practical. More available parking spaces will result in less frustrated students searching for a space on the way to class.
We hope university officials choose to limit the number of trees used to beautify the proposed parking lot and use any funding set aside for the trees to provide more scholarships for deserving students.
This editorial originally appeared on Page 2 of the September 22nd, 2010 issue of The Campus.
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