On Tuesday, March 31st at 7:30p.m. Student Senate will be hosting a panel in Brock 120/122 to address Covenant’s current campus parking situation. Parking tickets have been issued, Bagpipe articles have been written, and the frustrations have accumulated over this seemingly never-ending controversy. In an attempt to resolve this situation, Senate has assembled a committee to increase communication between the office of Safety and Security and the Student Body. With the work of this committee, led by Travis Hutchinson, Senate hopes to create a helpful, reliable resource for greater clarity between the administration and the Student Body on this issue.
The committee has already begun its work by gathering data from students, Safety and Security, and the administration to attempt to locate the biggest parking difficulties and miscommunications. Now, a date has been set, and a parking panel will take place next week that will address these miscommunications. The committee hopes the panel will provide an opportunity to clarify intentions, explain regulations, and continue to strengthen the bridge between the students and the administration.
Brad Voyles, Kevin Patty and Jimmy Myers will serve as the panelists who will answer parking questions and address misconceptions. They hope to discuss topics such as ticketing, the appeals process, and potential future plans for parking. In an email introducing these plans, Hutchinson encouraged the student body in an email introducing these plans to “partner with [the committee] as we work WITH (not against) Safety and Security in thinking through these issues.” Both the administration and the students have experienced lots of frustration over the parking situation, but we can already see how the committee has and will continue to increase communication and hopefully minimize these parking frustrations.
The committee includes Travis Hutchinson, Elizabeth Coats, Katie Tingle, Katrina Jammer, Austin Cantrell, and Louis Metcalfe. Any questions or concerns can be directed to Travis Hutchinson (travis.m.hutchinson@covenant.edu) or one of the parking committee representatives.