Parking should have priority over other projects

New student union, new housing facility—sounds great, right? To the non-Lawrence student, it might sound amazing. However, the Lawrence student might actually differ in opinion. Sure, these new facilities will be very beneficial to new students, but also very expensive. Before the administration allocates the majority of its funds into an enormous project such as a new student union, it must address the smaller needs of the students.

Anyone that attends Lawrence knows that parking an automobile can turn into an extremely arduous task. Legal spots are very scarce, especially for non-lottery holders. There are currently only 102 spots and roughly 300 Lawrence cars. There is massive deficiency in these numbers.

I know through experience that tickets issued by the Appleton Police can build into a rather astonishing amount. During winter months, the amounts seem almost unbearable. Being one of the most expensive schools in the state, the amount of money that student drivers pay for tickets is ridiculous. Most students do not have the extra money to pay the Appleton Police for silly parking tickets. Student drivers should not have to explore for parking or run the risk of a ticket every time they park their car.

Perhaps less money should be invested in large projects such as the union, and rather to more pertinent issues, like student parking. Not every student drives, creating an ambiguous solution to the problem. Two solutions could be to build another small parking lot or form a pact with the Appleton Police to allow parking on certain streets. The true solution to this problem is unknown. However, the problem needs to be addressed, quickly. I quiver every time I see an Appleton Police car prowl around the campus looking for its future victims.

—Chris Mac Gillis