19 Mar UPEISU Letter Regarding UPEI Parking Issues
Hi Panthers,
Please read below the letter approved on March 10, 2024, and sent by the UPEISU Council on March 18, 2024, addressed to UPEI’s acting Vice-President of Administration & Finance, Tara Judson.
We look forward to further parking solutions being developed by the University in collaboration with students.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our councillors, Owen Brown at senate1@upeisu.ca or Adam MacKenzie at senate2@upeisu.ca.
Ms. Tara Judson
Vice-President, Administration and Finance (Acting)
Kelley Memorial Building
University of Prince Edward Island
550 University Avenue
Hello Vice-President Judson,
For quite some time now, the UPEISU Council has been aware of the ongoing parking issues that affect all students who use parking facilities at UPEI. We know that the University, alongside members of the Student Union executive and other students-at-large, has been working on creating solutions to make parking more widely available for students on campus.
Recently, it appears to us that the extreme measure of towing has been used more frequently to rid parking lots of rule breakers. We understand that towing rewards those who own a permit and reminds those without it that they need to follow the rules. However, we also feel that seeing that there have yet to be many new initiatives implemented, towing is an inappropriate measure to use at this time. As everyone is aware, the cost of living disproportionately affects students. When a student is towed for not paying a meter or not owning a pass, the odds are that the student struggles to pay for either of those mediators. When a student has to pay because their car was towed, this only worsens the situation.
We understand that parking is a privilege, not a right. However, seeing that some parking solutions are currently in the works, we ask that towing measures be scaled back until such time that additional parking solutions by the Parking Committee are in place to create a more equitable parking environment for all students of our school. Additionally, we request a feedback meeting between the UPEISU Council and the appropriate staff responsible for parking.
Respectfully,
The UPEISU Council