Parking Lots

The Standard and Austin Kramer, Director of Administrative and Information Services

Why does SGA want to rename the lots? How will it be beneficial?

SGA wants to rename the parking lots because the current system numbers the parking lots based on when they come online; we do not see this as the most effective way for parking lot names to be communicated with the public. Renaming will be beneficial because the town of Springfield is set up in a grid-like system and naming parking lots based off of direction would be easier for students to navigate.

Will this affect all parking lots, or just specific ones?

Our goal for this project is to rename all parking lots, not just specific ones.

When would SGA realistically like to see this idea go into effect?

We would like to see this project go into effect by next summer, with the new signage available by next fall.

What stage of this plan are you currently in? (Brainstorming, specific ideas, ready to see your plan go into action, etc…)

We are currently coming up with recommendations for the different parking lots. We are hoping to bring a resolution before Senate by the end of September in support of the Administrative and Information Services committee’s parking lot recommendations.

Do you expect to see much opposition from other SGA members? This will eventually have to be introduced as a resolution, correct?

I do not think that there will be any opposition from any SGA members, and yes, this will eventually be brought up as a resolution.

Should this cost anything? And, if so, where will the funds come from?

At this time, the only potential costs that we see would be new signage that would reflect the new name of each lot; the old signs would obviously be changed out. We may look to cover these expenses with a Wyrick Proposal in the spring.

What committee is this through and why?

The Administrative and Information Services Committee is handling this project because this committee works closely with the Safety & Transportation Department (S&T). Working with S&T will be very important for the success of this project considering Parking Administration is a branch of this department.

————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Standard and Student Body President Jacob Swett

Is the renaming the of the parking lots something SGA has been looking at for some time, or is this fairly new?

Renaming parking lots is a project that SGA started looking into preliminarily this summer, and since the school year started we have begun to do more focused research.

Who will SGA have to work with for this?

SGA will work with Mr. Ken McClure, Vice President for Administrative and Information Services, and his office, as well as with the Safety and Transportation Department.

What type of names do you want to have for the lots?

We don’t have specific names in mind, and we certainly encourage suggestions from students, but the general idea is to think of more intuitive names that will make it easier to identify the lots.  I think that this will most likely involve naming the lots based upon their location on campus.

Whose idea was the renaming? What was their original inspiration?

The parking lot numbering system is something that has perplexed me over the past few years, and it wasn’t until I had an opportunity to discuss this with Mr. McClure in a committee meeting that I realized we could come up with a more intuitive system that students could understand and find useful. I don’t know how many times students have been given a notice of a parking lot being closed and they have had no clue which lot the number referred to and whether or not it affected them. We hope that renaming the lots will solve this issue.

————————————————————————————————————————————–

The Growl

The Standard and Kinsley Stocum, Director of Communications

How can people catch up on SGA meetings if they missed them? (Besides The Growl)

Meeting minutes can be found under the documents tab on the SGA website at sga.missouristate.edu.  Senate minutes detail any important information that was discussed as well as any actions that were taken by the body.  Minutes are also posted in the SGA office (PSU 123).

When will the meetings be available on the station?

Meetings will be played on The Growl as soon as possible; hopefully within the next week or so.  Our current scheduled days and times are Wednesdays and Sundays from 4 – 5:30PM.

Why did SGA decide to do this? Who presented the idea to The Growl, and is it through a specific committee?

Last year’s Director of Public Relations started recording Senate meetings with the hope of having them aired on The Growl.  Last year proved to be a great trial run for recording, so it was decided this year to take the idea to the radio station.  Justin and I met with The Growl over the summer to discuss the feasibility of the project, and it is the responsibility of myself, as Director of Communications, to see that it is successful.

Will The Growl air entire meetings, or just a predetermined amount of time?

Currently we have a time slot of Wednesdays and Sundays from 4 – 5:30PM.  Ideally we would like entire meetings aired twice a week, but working within a predetermined time constraint means that certain meetings might have to continue on from Wednesday to Sunday.

How will this be beneficial to both students and Senators?

Airing Senate meetings on The Growl will be beneficial to all students who would like to keep up with SGA business because it will give them two extra opportunities, outside of Tuesdays at 5:30PM, to stay informed of the reasoning and decisions of Senate.  It will be especially helpful to prospective Senators who may be uncertain of what SGA entails and to students who might have scheduling conflicts that are preventing them from attending Senate at the regularly scheduled date and time.

Was The Growl receptive to the idea? How was it presented to the organization?

The Growl was very receptive to the idea.

Have meetings ever been aired anywhere else in the past or is this a first for SGA?

Meetings last year were recorded and made available through iTunesU and podcasts on the SGA Website.  Both of these options will remain available this year.

Will SGA be involved with The Growl in any other capacity?

SGA and The Growl are exploring other ways we can collaborate.