I am seriously questioning the value of the student voice at ETSU.
I am not na’ve enough to think that we have as strong a voice as alumni, who donate money, or the TBR, but I did think that decisions about hiking tuition or how to spend tuition increases would involve the input of students.
I am also not so na’ve as to think that the university – a bureaucracy by nature – would ever operate along the grassroots, community based principles that guide my work as an activist.
However, honoring the student voice does not come in the form of a top-down decision concerning the parking situation, followed by emailed feedback forms to cover the backsides of the administration.
It comes in the form of hearing the student voice throughout the process of forming a plan.
In grassroots community organizing the solutions always come from the people who are most affected – who knows the parking situation better than the students, faculty and staff who struggle with it everyday?
Yet, instead of considering solutions from the people who are most affected, we pay thousands of dollars to outside consultants to come up with flawed solutions to our problems.
Whether you believe that we currently have a parking issue and whether or not you believe that the proposed “solution” from the administration will be disastrous, there are several serious issues that will occur if the administration’s plan is implemented.
Let’s consider what would happen to the staff members who are not paid a living wage by our university.
Paying $300 for a preferred parking spot would mean – for those hard working staff persons who serve us our food, clean and maintain our buildings, and support many of our other services and programs – losing at least a paycheck for a parking spot that is not even guaranteed to them.
My issue is not having to walk, my issue is that wealthier staff, faculty members and students will be given the privilege of parking close, while those who aren’t wealthy will be left to wait idly for a Buc Shot or walk from the edge of campus.
This plan has been characterized as fair competition for the most desired spots.
This is clearly false, considering that the parking spots will have unequal value attributed to them. Students all paying the same price and competing for spots as they do currently, as frustrating as it can be, is much more fair than the proposed plan.
The administration cannot possibly be surprised at the growing student movement on our campus.
It is long overdue and parking is just one of many issues that will be addressed.

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