Saint Mary's Senate provided an update on parking issues and brought forward a motion to have the Holy Cross and Regina residence hall side doors open longer in its meeting Tuesday.
Last week, the Senate appointed senior Chelsea Fordon and junior Chloe Deranek to bring students' complaints to light and see whether or not more student parking could be provided. The pair met with director of security David Gariepy.
Deranek said Gariepy could do nothing to give students more parking.
"Chelsea and I met with Dave, he said there is not a way to get more parking in Regina," Deranek said. "He said you have to understand just as much as the students are unhappy, so are the faculty and staff. They feel they have been here longer so they deserve more parking. He said no matter what he does he gets yelled at by someone and that it is not an option."
Gariepy clarified questions on Angela Athletic Facility parking, Deranek said.
"You can park anywhere in Angela, just not in the hall director spot and in [handicapped spaces]," she said. "I know a lot of people who park in the hall director spot and you will get towed."
Fordon said Gariepy offered to sit in on a future senate meeting to answer any future questions they may have and clarify rules concerning senior parking.
"The parking over by Angela, there actually is senior parking and it is supposed to be seniors only," Fordon said. "When I asked him how they mandate that he said they ticket people who they think are not seniors."
First year Leah Walsh said the Senate should see whether or not the Holy Cross and Regina residence hall doors could be unlocked for longer hours.
"The side door opens at 10 a.m. and closes usually at 5, so in the morning it is particularly hard," Walsh said. "It is inconvenient when you go to dinner and you can leave out of that door on the way to dinner but by the time you get home it is locked."
The senate appointed student body vice president Maddy Martin to ask vice president for student affairs Karen Johnson if these side doors could be open longer and for clarification on the times these doors are open.
Contact Kiera Johnsen at kjohns02@saintmarys.edu
