How Bad is Parking? Part 2

Last night, we started the answer to your question:

How Bad is Parking?

Tonight, we'll address the parts that are not your fault.

#1 - The system is flawed.

First, I would argue that the general vs reserved lot system doesn't work for us. There are lots of possible alternatives to this idea, but the one I prefer these days is dividing the lots into commuter and residential lots. It just makes a lot more sense to me. That said, the organizational structure of the lots is not the biggest flaw in the system. The biggest flaw is - OF COURSE - all about the Benjamins.

#2 - UTC Parking Services is self-funded.

What does that mean? It means that parking gets no money from the UT budgetary cycle. It means that all the times you've complained about us building the fancy new library when what you think we should be spending that money on is another parking garage have been futile because "that money" is not ever coming to Parking. But the money trail gets more complicated once you start to look at it. As a self-funded industry, parking makes all its budget from permit sales and tickets. If you make a bad choice and get a ticket, super! More money for the coffers. If you get frustrated with the General lot situation and decide to spend money you don't really have on a Reserved tag, excellent! More money for the coffers. If you don't like it and go complain and ask them to work on fixing it (as students have done for every year I've been at the University), they will act sympathetic but proceed as normal because IT WORKS FOR THEM. They are making their budget with things just as they are, so they have exactly zero motivation to fix it.

#3 - You have to have a parking permit.

Well, actually, you could choose to leave your car at home if you are a residential student and do college like countless college freshmen before you have done, but since we both know you won't do that and that you commuters truly have no choice, you are stuck. Just like with the ridiculously expensive textbook market, you are part of a system that knows you are a captive consumer. You will pay whatever you have to and deal with whatever frustrations you must because you have to. 

These things are all (relatively) true. But, I take slight issue with the last idea of you being a captive consumer. I still believe you can do something about it. Either by choosing to park in one of the outlying lots and utilizing the bus system or by creating a real-live activist movement at UTC, you can make it better.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I believe in you. And I'll sign your petition if you make one.

Cheers,

Dr. Y

How Bad is Parking? Part 1

The time has finally come. It is time to answer your question:

How Bad is Parking?

Welp. It's bad. By now, you undoubtedly know the routine. There are never enough spaces in the relatively close General lots; the Reserved lots sit somewhat empty, and professors like me cruise in and grab one of those spots while you sit waiting for somebody to come out and move their car. Or you park illegally and get a ticket and then complain about the ticket.There are a lot of problems with this scenario, but not all of them are UTC's fault. Let's start with where you are in error.

#1 - You think you need to park your car right next to your class. Even if you live on campus.

This is a serious issue, and we need to address it. If you live on campus, and you are driving your car to class, AND you don't have some particular medical reason for doing so, please let me speak directly to you...... STOP DOING THAT! You are clogging up the system, and you are making it a lot harder for commuters (those people who don't live on campus but still have to get to damn class) to actually park where they are supposed to park. Leave your car and walk. Yes, even if it is cold and/or rainy. Commuters, you, too, are guilty of thinking your car should be within sight of the building in which you are having class (slight exaggeration here). So, both y'all are to blame for the fiasco and both y'all sound ridiculous complaining that there's never any parking when there are plenty of empty spots in the outlying lots; y'all just don't want to use them.

#2 - You park illegally and then complain about the ticket.

Even if you think there is NO parking, if you park illegally, it is your own fault if you get a ticket. It is still a choice you are making. It may not feel like one at the time, but it is.

#3 - You don't adequately take advantage of the bus system.

Go read this post for more on the bus and its excellent offerings.

Come back tomorrow, and we'll talk about the parts that are not your fault.

Cheers,

Dr. Y

What Time Does the Bus Run?

Ten ages ago, when I last posted here (sorry), I promised you a post on parking next. And well, friends, it's coming. BUT not today. Today, I'm going to answer a question somewhat related to parking:

What Time Does the Bus Run?

Let's start with the basics. The bus that runs through and around UTC is a city bus (CARTA), but it is called the Mocs Express. It is a free shuttle to all riders, but you should know that your MocsCard gets you free rides on any of the Chattanooga City buses (see full map here). The shuttle buses make constant loops (supposedly every 6 minutes) between the hours of 7:30 am and 8:30 pm. One of the ways this relates to parking is that you can park in a decent parking lot by Engel Stadium, and the shuttle will pick you up there and drop you pretty much as near as you'd like to your classes. Here's a list of the stops, courtesy of the UTC parking website (try to ignore the misspelling of Engel. I can't, but maybe you can.):

• E. 5th St. & O'Neal St. (next to Engle Stadium and General Lot 45)
• E. 3rd St. & Wiehl St. (at Erlanger Hospital)
• E. 3rd St. & Hampton St. (at Erlanger Hospital)
• Fortwood St. & Palmetto St. (across Palmetto from Reserved Lot 16)
• Vine St. & Palmetto St.
• Oak St. & Palmetto St.
• McCallie Ave. (across from the Doctor's Building)
• McCallie Ave. & Baldwin St. (Hunter Hall)
• McCallie Ave. (in front of the Quad)
• 8th & University St.
• 8th & Baldwin (Probasco South Campus)
• McCallie Ave. & Douglas St. (in front of Fletcher Hall)
• McCallie Ave. & Houston St. (in front of the Metro Complex)
• Houston St. (in front of the Metro Complex)
• Oak St. & Houston St.
• Vine St. (in front of New Village Apartments)
• Vine St. & Douglas St. (next to the Alpha Delta Pi house)
• E. 5th St. (behind Maclellan Gym)
• E. 5th St. & Baldwin St. (between the University Center and Holt Hall)
• E. 5th St. (at the east end of Holt Hall)
• Palmetto St. (in front of the Administrative Services Building)
• E. 3rd St. & Hampton St. (Erlanger Hospital)
• E. 3rd St. & Wiehl St. (Erlanger Hospital)
• E. 5th St. & O'Neal St. (next to Engle Stadium and General Lot 45

As you can see, this is a fairly easy and comfortable way to get to classes. I've used it many times (parked at Engel for about two years until recently), and it is a nice service. Need more help? Here's the handy instructional video we got in our email this week:




The problem, of course, is that you can't be sure when it will run. Every six minutes is kind of a crap shoot of information. The digital signs will tell you when the next shuttle is expected, but you can't see them until you're at the stop, and and sometimes, the six minutes part is just a bold-faced lie. I've definitely arrived at the stop a minute later than normal having missed the shuttle I usually catch only to find the next one won't be there for more than 10 minutes according to the sign. This is a problem, and it is one students should address with the Parking Services people. When I finally do get around to writing more about parking, I'll talk more about this issue. For now, though, the best option is to use CARTA's bus tracker on your phone. It will tell you the same info as the signs, but at least you can stay inside longer, which can be helpful on a day like today when it is a wee bit chilly out. Ride the bus, UTC. Ride the bus.

Cheers,

Dr. Y

WEIRD WEDNESDAYS: What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar?

You so funny.

What Would You Do For A Klondike Bar?

I don't know. It's kinda cold outside. I'm not sure I really want ice cream at this point. I mean, I don't even really like ice cream that much. I know, right? Who doesn't like ice cream? This prof. Don't get me wrong. I'll eat it in a pinch. But I ain't all that interested in proving my love for a thing that isn't all that. Perhaps the more appropriate question at UTC is:

What Would You Do For A Parking Spot?

Now, THAT'S a question worth answering. Come back tomorrow for more on this subject.

Cheers,

Dr. Y 

How Can I Change the World?

Last Monday, we celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That man knew a thing or two about answering today's question:

How Can I Change the World?

You may not one day have a national holiday in your honor, but I believe firmly in your ability to change the world, and your question indicates you just might believe the same thing. But you're not sure. You don't know how to go about this world-changing thing. You want a rubric, an instruction manual, a guidebook on changing the world.

And - of course - you already know what I'm going to say:

TOUGH.

There isn't one. There is no clear and uniform path to changing the world just as there is no clear and uniform path to becoming who you are meant to be in this world. In fact, those two things are related. Your world-changing must come from who you are. You can't expect to change anything unless you first find something you think is worth changing. And you have to recognize that the only way to change the world is to see yourself as part of the world and start the changing there.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent a lot of his life talking about and fighting for and believing in Justice. His most famous "I Have a Dream" speech makes lots of references to justice - "the bank of justice," "the bright day of justice," "the palace of justice," "justice [rolling] down like waters." But to get to the point of talking about justice, you have to first recognize the injustice. You know the difference between the whining "that's not fair" you've been doing about having to walk to class in the cold (gasp!) and that pit of the stomach punch that hits you when you see or hear or encounter something that is truly unfair. Those moments don't all have to be as big as racial discrimination (although they certainly still can be); they could be - yes, really - about how unfair it feels to pay for parking and never be able to find a parking spot. To be required to spend hundreds of dollars on texts your professor never uses. To have to pay an athletic fee even though you have no intention of ever attending an athletic event at UTC. These are relatively small injustices, but they are unjust all the same, and your steps to changing the world start with you identifying what really bothers you and making a real effort to change those things. Change your world and you will change the world. It's as simple as that.

And if you want my signature for a petition fighting back against any of the injustices, you feel free to ask. In the comments below or via email, let me know what you find unjust and how you plan to fix it. I will be your biggest cheerleader.

Cheers,

Dr. Y