April 18, 2007
TO:
Eric Crouch
Managing Director of University Parking Services
FROM:
Kati Howard, Keegan Jonkers, Casey Richey and Erica White
English 2311, Sec 007
SUBJECT:
“Texas Tech Parking: A Plan to Improve Parking on Campus”
Handed in: 4/18/07
This is a proposal to analyze the current parking situation. As students of Texas Tech, we
feel obligated to inform you of a problem we have noticed with parking. We know that
your division of Texas Tech tries hard to keep things running smoothly. We merely
would like to suggest an alternative to one of the parking rules.
We recommend a time change for parking in two lots on campus. These are the Student
Union and Library parking lots.
Throughout this document, you will see our reasoning behind our recommendation. We
also include pros and cons for you to consider. We know that your time is precious. We
hope that we made this an easy thing for you to review.
If you have any questions regarding this proposal, don’t hesitate to call. You can contact
us at (806)555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.
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Texas Tech Parking:
A plan to improve parking on campus
Project compiled by,
Kati Howard, Keegan Jonkers, Casey Richey and Erica White
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 4
SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 6
BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 7
SOLUTION......................................................................................................................... 9
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 10
APPENDIX 1 .................................................................................................................... 11
APPENDIX 2 .................................................................................................................... 12
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OVERVIEW
Texas Tech is currently having a parking issue. Construction on campus is affecting
where students can park. Over the years Texas Tech students have seen the number of
parking spots diminish. With less available parking there has also been a rise in pay
stations on campus. University Parking Services has cut spots and increased their
revenue at the same time.
Since the start of construction, Texas Tech has taken parking spots away from students.
These numerous parking spots have been given away to faculty and staff.
University Parking Services has also changed parking times in specified parking lots
around campus. There are now certain times and certain days that students are allowed to
park in these designated lots. Many of the parking lots around campus allow students to
park after 5:30 pm. There are a few lots that make you wait until 8:00 pm. The 8:00 pm
lots are ironically the lots that are used the most among the student population.
The two particular lots that most students would be concerned with the 8:00pm rule
include: The Student Union parking lot and The University Library parking lot
(Appendix A). These are the lots that are the most widely used by all students on
campus. Texas Tech University Parking Services decided to make these lots available for
free parking after 8:00 pm on weekdays in order to make more money. If students want
to go to the library or Student Union before 8:00 pm they are forced to either purchase a
parking permit or pay $1.25 per hour to the pay station. If students do not pay a $20 or
$25 parking citation is issued per parking violation (Appendix B).
We would like to propose an idea that would allow any student to park on campus
anywhere after 5:30 pm. After 5:30 pm anyone is allowed to drive anywhere on Texas
Tech campus. Students should be allowed to park anywhere after campus is open.
Changing the time of free parking is not unrealistic.
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By changing the parking time Texas Tech University Parking Services would boost
overall opinion of their services. The employees that must write parking tickets would
not have to work until 8:00 pm. Most importantly though students will not have to worry
about getting a parking ticket while they are studying.
This rule change will also help with general student safety. Students can park in the well
lit areas after campus opens. This is beneficial because, at nighttime, street parking often
is not well lit. Well lit parking lots make coming to and leaving campus less stressful.
Changing parking times will allow students to utilize the safety and security that they are
already paying for in tuition.
This proposal describes our recommendation for a change. We reinforce the current
parking rules and regulations. While we also, present a new solution to change the
parking times.
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SUMMARY
We will address the issue of parking on campus after 5:30 pm. This problem affects most
of the student population. This is about 30,000 people.
We will describe an idea that will offer suggestions to change the parking on campus.
Our solution will save Texas Tech money and make it more convenient for students to
park on campus.
1. Pros of changing the campus parking policy
a. By changing the parking time Texas Tech University Parking Services
would boost overall opinion of their services from the student population.
b. This rule change will also help with general student safety
i. This is beneficial because once it becomes nighttime street parking
often is not well lit.
c. Changing parking times will allow students to utilize the safety and
security that they are already paying for in tuition
d. Earlier that lots close the less people that have to work
i. Less money that University Parking Services has to pay employees
2. Cons of changing the campus parking policy
a. Putting up new signs in these two parking lots
i. This will cost additional money for new signs
b. A slight decrease in the amount of parking tickets issued
i. Less tickets will mean less money
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BACKGROUND
Student parking on campus has been and is a continuing issue for all students. Every
year, more and more students get parking tickets. These tickets cost students money
(Appendix B). This is not allocated in their budget.
Every year the parking rules are changed. Many parking lot times have changed this
recent school year. Constant changes due to construction around campus are expected.
Parking and Services is making money from campus construction. Students deserve the
right to know when parking rules are changing. This will allow for less frustration and
less parking violations. This will also help University Parking Services to not have as
many angry students to deal with.
These construction changes make it arduous for students to come to campus after hours.
Campus opens to all traffic at 5:30 pm. The majority of campus buses stop running at 6
pm. These two facts present another challenge for students to be on campus and get
home after buses quit running. Changing the parking rules would help solve this
problem.
Two major parking lots do not allow students to park for free until 8:00 pm. These lots
are the Student Union and the University Library parking lots (Appendix A). The two
lots that students need to park in most often. To monitor these parking lots, University
Parking Services must pay attendants. Eliminating the final two and a half hours at the
tail end of allotted parking time could be enjoyable to parking attendants. Even though
this is the job that a parking attendant chose; nobody really enjoys having to work until
8:00 pm. Looking at the issue from this angle will allow both students and employees to
benefit from the change in free parking time.
Many students work and go to school. Students must work around their taxing schedules
to come to campus outside of classes. The parking times, for these two main lots, present
a problem. Part time jobs are often required. Most students are on a budgeted income.
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Average students don’t have extra cash laying around to pay for parking. This hardship
leads to a parking ticket that is often left unpaid. The ticket is only mentioned again at
new semester registration. Sometimes these parking tickets do not show up until a
student is attempting to get their diploma; after graduation.
University Parking Services does not have a budget from Texas Tech University. All of
the money that University Parking Services spend comes from their services. These
services include parking permits, pay stations and parking tickets. Eliminating parking
tickets is in no way possible or realistic. University Parking Services needs income to
continue operating, otherwise a version of parking anarchy will erupt. Changing two
parking lots to have two and a half less hours of regulated parking is not going to break
the budget.
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SOLUTION
University Parking Services can move the parking time in the Student Union and Library
parking lots to 5:30 pm. These are changes that will affect both sides of the argument.
We feel that the overall benefit that these changes bring will out weigh any possible
negative effects.
This proposal considers the following benefits:

Allows a greater student opinion of University Parking Services

Students are always eager to save money

Students would appreciate not having to pay to park here

Students would also enjoy not receiving parking tickets from these lots

More comfort leaving the Student Union and the University Library at night

Encourage students to utilize what Texas Tech has built for student resources
University Parking Services may end up losing a small amount of money due to a smaller
number of in fines with these areas. With cut hours of operation on these two parking
lots, University Parking Services would also be decreasing spending. This decrease in
spending would occur because they would not have to pay parking attendants. No one
would have to monitor these two lots for extended hours from 5:30 until 8:00 pm.
In closing, a change in the allotted times students are allowed to park in the Student
Union lot and the University Library lot will benefit all parties that are involved.
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CONCLUSION
As you can see our group decided to investigate the parking problem on campus that
affects many students. We would like you to review the information that we provided. It
is important for us to get across that we are not trying to fix the parking problem. We
simply want someone to begin investigating it. We chose you to do this because you play
such a vital and crucial role on the Tech campus. We know this problem won’t be fixed
overnight, but we would like to have the problem taken into consideration. We have
provided you with the information and numbers that you need to back up our proposal.
We provided an overview, summary, background, and solution to support our proposal.
By doing this we can support our proposition: to change the parking times in the Student
Union and Library parking lots to 5:30pm during the week. As students, we are extremely
concerned with this issue. We feel very strongly that this will increase the well being of
everyone involved. We understand that this might cut back on the money you receive
during 5:30pm-8:00pm in these lots but we also think it will help you as well. We stated
above that the fewer parking attendants you have working during these hours the less
money you have to spend paying them. Although you may not receive instant results; in
the end this will help tremendously. We don’t think we will be hurting any faculty, which
is key in our proposal. Most of the week faculty is gone by 5:30pm. This means we
won’t be taking any parking spaces away from them.
In the end, this proposal will help every student and staff member on the Tech campus.
We hope that you review our proposal and take it into serious consideration. We are
willing to help with any additional information and research you might need to approve
our proposal. Please look this document over and let us know if this will be a feasible
plan. We hope that the information that we have gathered will help provide you with
some very important insight. Please feel free to contact us at (806) 555-5555.
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APPENDIX A
Campus Map.1
1
Campus Map from University Parking Services. Found at <http://www.depts.ttu.edu/parking
/maps/parkingmap.pdf>. Viewed March 26, 2007.
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APPENDIX B
Citations and Costs.2
2
Citations and costs from University Parking Services. Found at <http://www.depts.ttu.edu/parking
rules&regulations.pdf>. Page 4 and 5. Viewed on March 28, 2007.
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