Parking outranks diversity
Campus opinions differ on national survey rankings

By Ram Luthra
Staff Reporter

There are mixed reactions on campus toward a national study that ranks parking as more of a problem than minority issues.

According to the “Student Leadership Survey: Issues Affecting Campuses,” conducted by the “National On-Campus Report,” student leaders at 260 colleges and universities stated that parking is more of a problem than diversity issues, safety concerns, student apathy and alcohol and drug abuse. It was not indicated if TCU was one of the schools that participated in the survey.

Darron Turner, director of intercultural education and services, said the survey is probably accurate, but the results may be misleading.

“This is probably the case in most universities around the nation,” he said. “In reality, it does not have to do with minorities or parking, but it deals with problems students face on a daily basis, as parking, and those which students deal with on an occasional basis, as diversity. If it’s not parking, then it could be the food services or something else.”

Andrea Cook, a freshman nursing major, said diversity is not important to people at TCU.

“The survey is a good indication of what is going on at TCU right now,” Cook said. “It proves that people really don’t care about increasing diversity and other minority issues. Not enough is done to address this problem because minorities on campus don’t feel like they belong here. They feel that they don’t fit in at all.”

Cook, however, said she agrees that parking is an everyday problem that affects all students equally.

“I understand why parking is a problem to all students, but it should never be higher in importance than diversity,” Cook said.

Ann Munson, a senior history and geology major, said she understands why parking would rank as a higher priority than diversity because it impacts every student.

“Parking is something we encounter and deal with every single day,” she said. “I don’t think it’s important in the whole scheme of things, but it is not as visible as minority affairs.”

Munson said she has been directly affected by parking problems but not with issues of campus diversity.

“I have not personally experienced or heard of problems dealing with minority issues at TCU, but I would not dismiss it at all,” Munson said.

Turner said the administration is doing a better job trying to solve minority issues since Chancellor Michael Ferrari came to TCU in 1998.

“Steps are being taken to improve and educate students in regards to this,” he said. “Chancellor Ferrari has made that a priority and a focal point for the university, but it is an ongoing battle.”

Minority issues will play a major role in students’ lives when they leave TCU, Turner said.

“If students do not deal with this now, they will have problems in the future,” he said. “Diversity challenges students to think and behave in a manner that will be appropriate with their interactions with people that are different. When students try to find a job, this will play a major role in whether they get that job or not.”

TCU Police Chief Steve McGee said there is no correlation between problems with parking and issues of campus diversity. He said problems with parking are being addressed because they are such a major student concern.

Ram Luthra
r.d.luthra@student.edu.