The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Student Association (SA) is actively exploring options for new parking alternatives on campus.

SA President Tyler Draheim talked about parking concerns in an interview with the Post last Thursday. In addition to creating more parking spots for students, Draheim addressed the significant difference between faculty and student parking rates.

UWM’s Physical Environment Committee, or PEC, is responsible for, among other things, recommending university parking and transit policies, according to the committee’s charter.

“We’re definitely trying to work on the rates,” Draheim said. “We’re using the PEC as well the transportation subcommittee for that.”

Draheim explained how UWM is in debt for building the Klotsche Center Pavilion, and needs at least an extra $300,000 per year to pay the debt off. One of the ways the university will pay for the debt is from its annual parking revenue.

“We don’t want to have to raise student fees on all of this, is the main concern,” said Draheim of the Pavilion debt.

SA is pushing for faculty rate increases to help pay the university’s debt, although specific proposals are still being discussed. One idea involved a 20-cent increase for staff parking.

“We want the 40 cents [per hour] that some faculty are paying over in Klostche up to at least 60,” said Draheim. “That’s a 20-cent differential. They’re still getting a sweet deal on parking, but we’re not having to shoulder all the weight.”

Recommendations by the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) for the fall 2009 semester, when any potential parking changes would take effect, will happen in November. Draheim said that, despite the need for overall fee increases, SA is focusing on alleviating parking costs for students.

“There are going to be some increases this year, regardless. It’s gotta happen. We’re going to be adding some new programs,” he said. “ If we do have to increase it [parking rates], we want it to be small increases.”

SA had also considered trying to add student parking spots in the Sandburg Halls’ underground lot, but the idea was shot down at a Sept. 17 PEC meeting. Draheim said that Tom Luljak, UWM Vice Chancellor for University Relations, and the administration made a deal with neighbors stipulating that freshmen wouldn’t be allowed to bring cars to campus.

Other alternatives include opening up Lubar Hall parking to students before 3 p.m. Draheim said that particular parking lot is not full before 3 p.m. and is “totally underutilized.” Another idea was to move faculty parking from the EMS surface lot to EMS underground parking to add spots for students.

Draheim also said if UWM acquired Columbia Hospital, that would help with parking, too. But for now, SA will continue researching new ways to help students with both parking spots and rates on campus.

“We’re not going to plow down Downer Woods or anything,” he said. “But there’s a lot of old buildings that could be torn down that aren’t used at all right now and turned into more parking space.”