No Blood, No Fallon: While SGA worries about hot dogs, Parking Services continues to reign

Trying to find a place to park around this campus is as bad as getting a root canal with a Black & Decker power drill under the supervision of a drunken, unlicensed dentist.

I can write until I'm blue in the fingers, but there isn't a whole lot I can do. The group that can do something is too busy discussing hot dogs.

Deciding on the idea of handing out 300 free hot dogs at the home football games is nothing but a laughing matter compared to some of the real problems on campus.

The Student Government Association should pay attention and fix something worthwhile.

You want to make the students whom you govern happy? Let them buy their own hot dogs and give them a place to park.

Important to keep in mind, only the student body can prod SGA into action. As far as this year goes, there isn't much that can be done. However, a tighter belt can be put around Parking Services, forcing a more careful distribution of parking tags in the future. The only people who can motion for such action is SGA.

"Our staff is committed to providing the best service possible to each member of the Ball State University community and each person visiting campus," says the Web site devoted to Parking Services.

Give me a break. The staff is committed to sucking every free dollar from each person associated with the University. On top of an increasing number of meters, Parking Services charges students $40 for a spot that is in no way guaranteed to be open or available - ever.

To solidify my argument, consider the following:

You get a $5 ticket for parking in an expired meter and want to pay it the next day. You drive to the parking services office and the parking services parking lot is now a meter lot.

As if there weren't enough excuses for pointless deposits of shiny quarters, you have to pay a meter to pay your ticket.

I did a little investigative driving the other day only to find my instinct to be true. Those gray signs that once read "20 minute parking" around campus are gone. All were replaced by meters, making it impossible to park for free anywhere.

This year is especially bad. The football stadium lot has nearly doubled in size across the street, making the intelligent patron wonder where those cars will go this weekend, during the first home football game.

That's right freshmen, you must move your car for home games. Parking services doesn't care where, just not at the stadium. That's fine, most of them will probably end up in the parking lot of my apartment complex.

The bottom line is we can all complain about waiting 45 minutes in a parking lot for a spot. What matters is to whom you are complaining.

Yelling at parking services isn't going to fix anything, they know all about their unfair and inconsiderate policies. If you want things to change, talk to those who can change it.

Actually, skip talking. Force them to change it.

SGA represents us, the students. Help them remember by voicing your opinion.