Issue 8: Parking and Transportation

Every issue, The Maneater will choose a topic important to students and ask the Missouri Students Association presidential candidates to explain what they plan to do about it.

By Erica Zucco and Gwen Daniels

Published Nov. 9, 2007

Dustin Barker

Jessica Barker

MSA Presidential candidate Dustin Barker and Vice Presidential candidate Jessica Ekhoff said they feel safety within parking garages was one of the most important issues to discuss concerning parking and transportation.

The slate said they support surveillance cameras installed in the Maryland Avenue parking garage and the installation of cameras in all parking garages on campus.

The slate said they felt cameras in parking garages would not invade student privacy. Instead, they would protect individuals and their vehicles from both violent and hit-and-run incidents.

The slate also wants to address the installation of cameras in parking garages.

"We understand that there is not enough parking on campus for students," Barker said. "However, we feel that construction of educational and extracurricular facilities is more important than the construction of more parking lots. Mizzou is going in the right direction with the way they are dealing with parking."

Jim Kelley

Chelsea Johnson

Missouri Students Association Presidential candidate Jim Kelley and Vice Presidential candidate Chelsea Johnson said they plan to address parking in Greektown.

Because space is limited, many sorority and fraternity members pay more than $400 to park at their houses. Greek students who apply for university parking are often assigned faraway lots such as AV-14, Johnson said.

"I can understand why students living on campus usually get first pick, but we want to look into our options," she said.

The slate said they might work with MU Parking and Transportation Services and the City of Columbia to target the problem.

Kelley and Johnson will also explore the idea of parking meters that would accept debit, credit or student charge.

The slate also hopes to add a crosswalk in East Campus. Recently, a car hit a student as she crossed the street onto campus, Johnson said.

"Students walk across there all day and all night long," Johnson said.