The Compass

Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: News

It has become routine for many students to drive past over 2,000 parking spaces on campus to find any empty one. Many have decided to look elsewhere like in the grass, handicapped spaces, visitor spaces or faculty spaces.

"We've been pretty lenient for the most part,"Richard Goodson, director of public safety at GSC explains about the parking warnings given out on the first week of school.

"This is not a game of catch you," Goodson said. Goodson also said he just wanted to make the parking program more manageable.

Manageable may be tough when there is hardly a place for students to park without walking a mile to get to their first class.

Although the parking may be slim pickens, Goodson insists there are places to park.

"Generally we do have parking in the CE lot. There's always at least 20 to 100 free spaces, I check it out myself." Goodson also said he relies on turnovers between classes to help free up the parking lots.

Goodson even went as far as giving his business card to a student who complained to him that he could not find a parking space. He sent a few security guards to find a space, but never heard back from the student.
"The bottom line is that we've grown considerably. There we're places to park but were in a bit of a crisis situation," said Goodson.

Some students have found perfectly good parking spaces in grass. Unfortunately, those cars will receive tickets, in order to keep the Gainesville Campus looking good.

The biggest problem the public safety department has dealt with is cars on campus without parking permits. Now, with the new plan the unregistered vehicle will receive a warning followed by three parking fines and another warning. After this series of warnings, the car will be immobilized (booted).

When the new parking plan was implemented, Goodson had to go through the vice presidents above him and the SGA. All that saw the plan agreed it was necessary.

"Hopefully people will pay attention," Goodson says.

The office of public safety placed signs around the parking lots on the first week of school that made students aware of the warnings to come. The new parking plan was also featured on the school notice board and in the December issue of The Compass.

In order to alleviate the parking situation, SGA developed a ride share. Although the share has been in affect since Fall 2007, it has yet to have helped at all. Goodson agreed that a carpool and rideshare would be a benefit.Planning for growth still, Goodson says he's trying to get a parking deck built on the hill in front of the amphitheater.

Meanwhile he keeps about two security guards circling the lots to keep up with any problems. Although he has not received too many complaints yet, Goodson expects them to be rolling in when the students see the increased fines.

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