The Griffon News

Students expressed their concerns about parking in the Blum Union, Public Safety and Campus Security, and food court cleanliness at the Student Senate meeting held on Sept. 24.

Most students seemed to be concerned about the policy on parking in the Blum Union, due to the number of tickets given out.

According to Jon Kelley, Director of Public Safety, for the period of August 1, 2007 to September 12, 2007, there were 1,353 campus parking citations issued, which is a slight decrease for the same time period last year.

The controversial rule is that motorists are only allowed to park in the Blum Union until midnight, any time after that will warrant a ticket.

Many people do not seem to be fond of this rule, as it proves to be a major inconvenience for those who use the library until 2:00 a.m.

SGA Vice President Luke Herrington feels it is only fair for parking in the Blum Union to be restricted after the computer lab is closed.

“I think it is unreasonable to request that students park across campus to access a building with a wide open lot,” Herrington said.  “The reason they ticket people for parking there is to make money.”

Kelley said the money from parking tickets goes to the Traffic Fines Revenue Account.

SGA President Natalie Bailey has decided to take matters into her own hands.

“I have contacted Public Safety because the computer lab is open until 2 a.m. in the Union and we are trying to find a compromise,” Bailey said.

Another concern was whether or not DPS officers should be armed.

Some say they need continued training if they are going to decide to start carrying weapons.
SGA Adviser Dr. Cynthia Heider expressed how she felt about DPS officers’ duties.

“When they feel they are in a dangerous situation, they automatically call the St. Joe Police Department for backup,” Heider said.

Students moved on to express their concerns about the cleanliness of the food court.

The tables always seem to be dirty, and it was requested for them to be kept cleaner.

Apparently, tables are currently only cleaned at night because of the time allotted when no one is occupying them.