9 minute read
GIVE ME MY (PERSONAL) PARKING SPACE
BY C. FRANCIS O'LEARY
It’s time to take a stand against the greatest American injustice: annoyance.
-C. Francis O'Leary
College students have long earned a reputation for grassroots organizing, political agitation and radical activism. Even just the past two decades on the University of Oregon campus have seen their fair share of social movements — from anti-war protests during the Iraq War to recent calls to democratize the board of trustees. It’s clear that UO students suffer no lack of physical courage when the time comes to affect change. Now is the time for the student body to mobilize its zeal for justice and direct its energy toward the most important social cause of our time: getting me a free parking space within a few steps of my classrooms.
According to previous Emerald reporting, there are approximately 2,350 parking spaces where permit holders can park their personal vehicles on or near the UO campus. Those spaces are divided among four zones based on how close they are to the heart of campus. Zone A cuts right through the campus along University Street and East 13th Avenue. Until the university gives me a parking space in the lobby of Allen Hall, Zone A is where I want my free parking space.
If I wanted, I could have had a parking space in Zone A, but it costs $402 per term. How is that fair! I already pay tuition to attend this school, and now the administration wants me to pay for parking. Don’t tell me it’s a different service and that tuition should go to instructors, facilities maintenance, staff members and whatever else the university wastes my hard-earned money on. I don’t care about that! I just want a shorter walk to the Rec.
Another counterargument I’ve heard to my proposal is that it would be unfair to other students who have to park farther away; I couldn’t agree more. The university should build more parking in the heart of campus. UO has loads of green spaces that pretty much sit there and do nothing all the time. Just the other day, I saw a little patch of dirt in the Women’s Memorial Quad where a squirrel was busy burying an acorn. I couldn’t help but think how much I would have personally gained if, instead of a patch of dirt and a squirrel, it had been an expanse of asphalt and a Subaru Forester.
There were 21,752 students and 8,544 employees at UO last school year according to the university’s Office of Institutional Research. That means the university would merely have to increase its parking availability by a little over tenfold to ensure everyone always has a parking spot available.
Ultimately, I propose we bulldoze every green space on campus and convert them into multi-story parking structures. Matt Denberg, a city of Eugene planning specialist, estimates that a six-story, one-acre parking garage can house approximately 450 cars. As the Emerald has previously reported, Pioneer Cemetery is 16 acres alone. All we would have to do is get it removed from the National Register of Historic Places, and we could add 7,200 parking spaces!
And that’s just the beginning. Once we’ve uprooted every tree and flattened every lawn, I’m confident the campus could accommodate everyone’s addiction to commuting solo in a 3,500-pound machine.
Some nerd majoring in Planning, Public Policy and Management will probably respond to this saying something about induced demand, the phenomenon of increased supply increasing demand. In this case, that means making more parking would motivate more people to drive; those extra drivers would in time impact city planning, leading to wider roads; those wider roads would mean things get further apart, meaning more people would want to drive.
All great points, but none of them get me my parking spot in the EMU Fishbowl, so I’m choosing to ignore them. (Don’t even get me started on the argument that all these extra vehicles would impact the environment and endanger pedestrians).
Folks, the facts are clear. We need to mobilize as a community and apply pressure on the university administration until I get a free parking space. Furthermore, I won’t be satisfied until there is nary a blade of grass left on campus and every last one of us can park our cars within a few steps of our destinations. Together, we can make having to walk across campus a thing of the past.
UNTHANK UNTHANK HALL BRINGS HALL BRINGS NEWER, MORE NEWER, MORE EXPENSIVE EXPENSIVE HOUSING HOUSING OPTIONS TO OPTIONS TO CAMPUS CAMPUS
The University of Oregon is tearing down Hamilton and Walton halls in favor of new construction projects. This change raises the minimum cost of on campus living expenses for students.
An Excavator remains on the lot as workers have gone home for the day. The University of Oregon's oldest and most affordable residence hall, Walton, is currently being demolished. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)
BY HANNAH McINTYRE
The University of Oregon’s Walton-Hamilton Transformation Project is replacing two of the most affordable residence halls on campus with DeNorval Unthank Jr. Hall this fall. The change brings both new venues and higher costs for students living in the dorms.
The university constructed Unthank Hall on what students called the Humpy Lumpy Lawn, the green space near Hamilton and Justice Bean halls. The new dorms can house up to 700 students and offer a variety of dining options, as well as academic spaces and a new student welcoming center.
The Walton-Hamilton Renovation Project is unfolding in three phases. Phase one was the construction of Unthank Hall on Humpy Lumpy Lawn, according to UO Housing. The second phase is the demolition of Walton Hall and the construction of two new residence halls in its place. One of these new dorms will house 700 people and the other 400 people. The third phase of this project is the removal of Hamilton Hall and the construction of a new recreational green space.
If students request to live in Unthank Hall, they can expect to see a jump in room and board costs. The most affordable room in Unthank Hall — a triple room with a private bathroom and a standard meal plan — is nearly $14,500. A double room with a private bathroom is around $16,400 and a single with a private bath and a standard meal plan has a yearly rate of almost $19,700.
The University Housing Room and Meal Plan Cost page gives students and parents the ability to look at yearly rates for each hall. The meal plans can be factored in as well to see the overall package, with prices for rooms set for the current academic year. With the yearly rate coming in at a little over $22,000, a large single room with a sink and a standard meal plan in Barnhart Hall is the most expensive place to live on campus. The cheapest room plan on campus — a triple room with a sink in Carson Hall and a standard meal plan — costs around $13,000 per person for the year.
Caydance Hurst, an incoming freshman majoring in psychology, is excited to be attending UO this fall. “Considering the job market and how little entry-level jobs pay and how much tuition costs alone, it’s all very expensive,” Hurst said. “Most students, like myself, had to have massive amounts of financial help in order to even manage to go to UO.” “Cost is definitely an issue,” UO housing director Michael Griffel said. “We worked really hard on the cost so that the price per bed per square foot is as modest as possible. Affordability for higher education is super important, in this building and in all of the components of it. We really designed this building with that in mind.”
From an energy and sustainability perspective, both Walton and Hamilton do not meet today's standards according to Griffel. The buildings are lacking in physical accessibility as well. Compared to the building standards of the 60’s, the old dorms are “different in the way in which people are living 50 or 60 years later,” he said.
One main difference in the new construction is more provisions for residents’ privacy. According to Griffel, Unthank hall offers private bathrooms, whereas Hamilton and Walton only offered community bathrooms.
“The size of the [Hamilton and Walton] rooms were a little bit modest in the bathroom styles,” Griffel said. “The bathroom style now is that we want students to have a private bathroom.” This means either a bathroom in the bedroom or a set of private bathrooms per floor. UO housing’s aim is to provide students with privacy and gender inclusivity, according to Griffel.
“We want to provide a really tremendous experience for students,” Griffel said. The initial cost of phase one is estimated to beat $87 million, with the money being borrowed from the university’s internal bank, according to Griffel. “That money is borrowed through bonds and is paid back through room and board fees,” he said. “This is how all residence halls and residential dining facilities are paid for.” According to Griffel, housing did not receive state dollars or tuition dollars for the project.
Another aspect of the building and community is the PNW Market, including
multiple dining venues which are open to the public.
“The PNW Public Market is intended to feel really lively,” Griffel said. Much of the food is locally sourced.
Alec Palm, an incoming political science major, will be living on campus for the 2021-22 academic year. He is among the first group of students to call Unthank Hall home. “I think the live-on-campus requirement is important, as it creates a sense of community amongst first-year students,” Palm said. “It allows freshmen to fully emerge in the UO community and experience.”
UO requires all incoming first-year undergraduate students to live on campus unless they file for an exemption. The university grants exemptions on a case-bycase basis, according to UO housing.
“I think that, compared to other universities, UO has some work to do,” Palm said. “Especially with a live-on-campus requirement – the University of Oregon still has a long way to go when it comes to making the price of housing competitive and affordable.”
Remnants of a foundation of Walton Hall sit as demolition continues. The University of Oregon's oldest and most affordable residence hall, Walton, is currently being demolished. (Will Geschke/Emerald) Walton Hall lays in dissaray during its demolition. The University of Oregon's oldest and most affordable residence hall, Walton, is currently being demolished. (Will Geschke/Emerald)
Pieces of furniture lay in the lawn next to Walton Hall. The University of Oregon's oldest and most affordable residence hall, Walton, is currently being demolished. (Will Geschke/Emerald) Trash lays in the courtyard of Walton Hall while demolition is underway. The University of Oregon's oldest and most affordable residence hall, Walton, is currently being demolished. (Will Geschke/Emerald)
