Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

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ow many times have you found yourself driving around campus feverishly keeping both eyes open looking for a parking space of any sort. Usually, if you are lucky, you'll find one after three hours of searching. Before you realize it, you are bumper-to- bumper in a spot your car was not made to fit in. Suspiciously, you look around for an eyewitness to your act of foolishness. While you sit in your car trying to figure out how you got yourself into such a predicament, you also wonder how big the owners of the cars are to which you are bumper-to-bumper with. The problem of trying to find a parking space has been around for many years now and seems to be getting worse. According to Gary Messer, the university di- rector of safety and security, The grand total of spaces for faculty, staff, students and commuters stands at 2700. This includes parking areas such as: the gravel lot adjacent to the Rice Building, the area around Jayne Stadium, all of married housing and the Eagle Lake area. Approximately 3000 parking permits were is- sued for the fall and spring semesters to stu- dents, commuters and faculty. Therefore, 300 people were left to find or create a parking space of their own. A student caught parking in a yellow zone, fire lane, handicap space, crosswalk or another such inappropriate zone will usually find them- selves with a ticket or two when they return. The University charges $5 per ticket if paid within 14 days and $10 for an unregistered vehicle. If a car is towed, then the price is $20. Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, has the same ticket price policy as our university but the University of Kentucky, Lexington, is a little different. They charge $5 per ticket and if it is not paid within four working days then the cost rises to $7. The tow charge is $25. Why not get rid of the yellow zones, every- one parks in them anyway, said Kelly Robinson, a Morehead junior. No one has come up with a solution at this time to solve the problem, but according to other Race for a universities we are not the only campus who must deal with it. Mark Josefowicz, supervisor of the University of Kentucky's parking and transportation said, We also have had a parking problem for quite some time now. Our university has approxi- mately 10,000 spaces for students and faculty. About 20,700 parking permits were issued to the entire population of the university in the fall and spring semesters. Josefowicz said he feels UK's main problem is that construction of new buildings has taken away from parking places. Recently, 400 spaces were lost due to the construction of a new foot- ball training center. We have no plans or money to create more parking spaces, said Josefowicz. The students also feel parking has become a great problem. We park out at the Common- wealth Stadium which is by the football field, said Elizabeth Moore, a sophomore Spanish ma- jor. Moore added, Too many permits were issued for the available spaces in the fall and spring. George Duncan, assistant director of public safety at Eastern Kentucky University said, We have 7000 parking spaces in and around our campus and 10,000 parking permits were issued for fall and spring. Duncan said, We have a good system here on this campus and most of our parking lots are spread out so they are convenient to all the buildings. Our university needs more parking spaces, but exactly where the land would come from to construct a lot is unknown. They should clear out more of the hill behind Nunn Hall and expand that lot, suggested Robinson. Why not build a high rise building in the Rice parking lot, another student commented. Any such construction would be extremely expensive for the University which would result in raising prices somewhere. Some students find themselves receiving let- ters from the Safety and Security office at the end of the semester telling them they owe $200 in

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50 Well! been a victim ofbomb threats. We are lucky to have such fast acting, brave security oHicers, who found and disarmed these bombs before anyone could get hurt. In front of us, up on the hill is one of our finest dormitories, Thompson Hall. It is a beautiful example of the luxurious, spacious living quarters of the MSU students. We are proud to say it is fully equipped with indoor plumbing, and some of the windows even have screens. And when twenty stereos are going at once, the acoustics are outstanding. No, Iim sorry we can,t take a tour of the in- side. They are remodeling the commuter lounge. We must hurry along now! The tour is al- most over. Look out! Did that hurt? It looked like that hurt when that car slammed into you. Youire bleeding! Are your legs broken? These crazy college kids, you know. They are sup- posed to stop at the little yellow lines of the crosswalk, and let us walk across, but they have so many important things on their minds that they forget. Oh dear, youire bleeding profusely. Weill just have to take you to the clinic when the tour is over, and theyill fix you right up. Well now, here is Laughlin. Laughlin houses several gymnasiums and other recre- ational facilities. Twice ayear, it is the spot for a big party welcoming the students back from vacation. At registration, booths are set up for the students to browse and see what kind of surprises will be given to them. Almost every- thing is run by computer so this party is very efficient. The students get to spend hours in the gym getting bills handed to them, being told what loan was never processed, and what classes they were closed out of. Its all a lot of fun, and by the end of the day the students donit want to leave. Is that little boy still alive back there? Oh yuck! He,s bleeding all over his fathers sport coat. I guess weid better head back now. I was I KNOW IT MAY LOOK LIKE BROKEN BONES, BUT ITS REALLY A VIRUS. X: a WVXN h ' X y XXV; lr going to show you the football stadium. It has a new Astroturf field and new weight room. It has really raised the morale of our school heroes, the football team. They have been so inspired by the new field that they won two games the whole season! Isn,t that special? Next to the football field there is a parking lot where students fight each other just to get a space. In spite of the more than adequate parking on campus, students enjoy the walk from the football field to campus. We are a very exercise conscious bunch here at More- head. We would rather walk than drive any- day. Speaking of walking, can,t that little guy walk on his own feet yet? The car didnit hit him that hard! He was still breathing the last time I checked. I hope he doesnit die. That wouldn,t do much good for the university,s reputation, and our enrollment would proba- bly decrease. Darn, we were doing so well! e By: Amy Darbaker Artwork by: Jerry Miller, a Senior Studio Art Major from Raccoon, KY. 63

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Space parking tickets. A fine of such proportions may prevent a student from registering the following semester. Even though students continue to blame safety and security officers for ticketing their car, for now there is no better way of controlling the problem. - By: Tina Hamm WELCOME TO MSU! I HOPE YOU ENJOY Vow! 911W BurREMEMBER-m 'zr You PARKWOU PAW Artwork by: Jerry Miller, Senior Studio Art major from Raccoon, KY 65