Letter to Editor- First Draft

Dear Editor,
When I first read the this article, “Parking problems require resolutions” by Brian Chatman, I thought to myself, “Finally someone is voicing the opinions that most students here have.” This was until I read the date of the article, February 17, 2004. I couldn’t believe that this was the latest article from the Daily Skiff about the parking problems at TCU. Although I was shocked about the date, I realized that the issues in the article are still issues today: people park illegally and there aren’t enough spaces for all the students who commute, close to their classes. The major point or idea that I support is that of a parking garage.
One way this author shows the existing problems is by adding a personal experience. He walks up and down the rows of cars and notes all of the illegally parked cars without parking tickets and the large amount of commuter students who are searching endlessly for a spot. This helps paint a picture of the problem instead of maybe just stating the number of tickets that have been given to those parked illegally in the past month or so.
As the author says, this problem leads to the next. With so many parking spots being taken by those who shouldn’t be there, those who are coming from off campus can’t park in the spaces provided for them. By saying that he avoided eye contact with the drivers entering the parking lot because over their annoyed looks, he uses the method of pathos to gain support. I myself have been frustrated many times when looking for a parking spot and seeing a freshman’s car parked in the lot for sophomores and upper classmen.
As for the solution he offers to solve these problems, I fully support the idea of building a parking garage for all the on-campus residents at TCU. By doing this it will free up many of the lots that sophomores and other residents fill. Making the addition would also make it more convenient for those who have to park in the ‘Freshman Lot’ or the ‘Overflow Lot’. When I was a freshman the parking didn’t bother too much. Yes it was annoying have to park far away and then walk back to my dorm carrying my laundry I had brought from home, but I thought that was just something I had to go through as a freshman, almost like a rite of passage. Now as a sophomore I have become very annoyed with the parking situation. The ritual of going from the ‘Sophomore Lot’ near the recreation center checking for parking and failing to find one, then to the ‘Daniel Meyer Coliseum Lot’ and again having no luck is not something I like doing. The result of these failures causes more frustration because the only alternative is the ‘Freshman Lot’ and ‘Overflow Lot’. The shuttle that TCU runs from the ‘Overflow Lot’ to the dorms is nice but not as convenient as a parking garage would be. One way Chatmna might have improved this suggestion to the parking problem would be to give some statistics on the number of spaces currently available and how that would change if this solution were put into action.
I haven’t met a fellow student in my two years at TCU that was completely satisfied with the parking layout or situation on campus. Something needs to be done about these existing problems, especially because of the growing number of students each year enrolling to TCU. Whether it is building a parking garage or an alternate plan, these problems have existed far too long.

Cameron Kinlaw