UF's Inter-Residence Hall Association passed two resolutions Monday suggesting that UF abandon a plan to eliminate certain on-campus student parking spots and solicit input about these parking decisions from students who live in residence halls.
The association represents the roughly 7,500 students living on campus. The resolutions were passed unanimously in response to the UF Parking and Transportation Committee's plan to transform student parking in front of Fletcher and Sledd residence halls into faculty parking to make up for 188 parking spots lost when Hough Hall, the graduate business school, is built near Criser Hall. Hough Hall is scheduled to open in 2010.
The committee's plan still needs to be approved by Ed Poppell, UF's vice president for business affairs.
Scott Fox, director of UF's Transportation and Parking Services, declined to comment on the resolutions until he discusses them with his staff.
Jon Sheffield, IRHA president and author of the two resolutions, said he felt on-campus students had no formal voice in the decision. The Parking and Transportation Committee has 19 members, including four students, but no IRHA representatives.
The first resolution states that IRHA opposes the parking plan because it eliminates some student parking on the east side of campus, which could increase the danger of those who have to walk long distances to their cars at night.
"At this point, a lot of this is damage control and trying to inform people about how bad this is," Sheffield said of the resolutions.
He said he also hopes that this won't happen again, which is why he drafted the second resolution, which recommends adding an IRHA representative to the Parking and Transportation Committee.
