Dear Editor,
In the 1600s people from various backgrounds chose to make the incredible journey across the Atlantic to a foreign land to make a better life for themselves. For decades people could develop and colonize independently without outside interference from England. In the 1750s, England, having incurred great debt from the Seven Years’ War, decided to extract money from the colonies. They began placing taxes on goods.
The “taxation without representation” outraged the colonists, and they resisted England’s authority at all costs. This led to disturbances and ultimately the revolution.
Although students at ETSU did not cross an ocean, they still made a big decision by selecting this university for their higher education. For years the cost of a parking permit has been minimal and included in the tuition and fees. The administration created a new plan for parking, increasing the cost to as much as $300 and making it an additional expense.
The argument that the colonists made to England is still relevant on our campus today. They contested that it violated a man’s liberties to make him pay money to fund a government in which he had no say. The important thing was to have a representative vote in matters such as taxes, since they were directly affected by such increases.
Likewise, at ETSU, probably the biggest injustice surrounding the new parking plan is that it will be put into place as an administrative decision, with zero input from the students. And just as angry colonists did years ago, students today are refusing to tolerate this unfairness. If we are paying increasingly more money each year to help support this institution, shouldn’t we have some sort of a say? Shouldn’t we be represented?
In contrast to our predecessors, I’m not suggesting a war. I am simply highlighting the historical similarities, to make the point that, then and now, liberty is important, and when a man’s rights are continually violated, something’s gotta’ give.
– Jennifer Fielden

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