I am writing in reference to the current state of UCLA parking. Although I understand that parking will always be an issue, I write with the realistic request that current methods for parking selection and appeals be reconsidered. It is my belief that students are under enough stress, and worrying about how they are going to get to class each day is an unnecessary burden that can be avoided by implementing a new appeals process.
As a graduating senior, I have had a very long and frustrating relationship with the UCLA Parking Services that has diminished my satisfaction with my academic experience. I feel the current point system cannot adequately account for the many needs of UCLA students, nor do I expect it will ever be able to. The fact that there is absolutely no room for appeals once parking is assigned is unbelievable. A legitimate appeals process is vital to the continued academic success of UCLA students. I was most recently assigned parking near Sunset Canyon Recreation Center for fall 2009, and as an art student, I had hoped to obtain a space in Lot 3. Nearby access would allow me to take full advantage of the newly renovated Broad Art Center facilities, where I am taking 19 units this fall. I also pay my academic fees by working, which often requires that I go directly to work after class. After getting assigned a parking space nowhere near my desired location, I went to the parking office with the necessary documents in hand, hoping to appeal my case. There I was told that because I had been given a parking spot, there was no way I would be able to appeal this decision unless I accepted the spot by Sunset Canyon Recreation Center for the year and then attempted to transfer to Lot 3 in the winter ““ after a full quarter of parking by Sunset Canyon.
Art students have some of the most time-intensive schedules of the various fields of study, as studio classes last upward of eight hours a week, and most students are required to spend additional time on campus. Whether it be coming in on weekends, staying after dark, or carrying large and heavy materials to their workrooms, many UCLA art students require the use of a car, as well as the use of Lot 3 and its adjacent parking. Unlike students in other majors, art students cannot work at home; they require darkrooms, tools made available by the various work rooms, or, most obviously, space, and thus spend long hours in Broad Art Center. This frequent need for parking makes the pay-by-day parking both cumbersome and costly ““ an unfair burden for students who have a legitimate need to park more than twice a week with the goal of simply making the best of their academic experience and striving for a successful future.
However, it’s not only art students who I believe are suffering for this lack of proper consideration. Appeal exceptions are available to students who did not receive a parking spot the first time around. These exceptions are not available to students who received parking in a lot that does not meet their needs.
It is unacceptable to deny these students the opportunity to appeal their parking assignment. Students with responsibilities such as caring for a child, participating in an off-campus internship, or who have been the victim of a crime and require parking close to their classes in order to feel safe, should be encouraged and facilitated by the parking system in these endeavors.
I urge UCLA Parking Services to reconsider their current parking criteria in order to ensure the continued academic success of students at UCLA.
Dillon is a fourth-year art student.