University Transportation and Parking Services announced that the opening of Parking Structure III, deemed a student-only structure, will be accompanied by the introduction of a valet service for the 2007 spring and fall semesters.

The service, which is being referred to as “convenience parking,” will at first be offered to students only. It will be run as a trial program and will be evaluated by the campus for its value at the end of Fall 2007.

“We plan to offer (this service) to all permit holders for a fee of $3.00 and to all non-permit holders for a fee of $3.00 plus the cost of a daily parking permit,” said UTAPS Director Nancy Fox. “(At the beginning), the service will be offered in Structure III only (but will have potential to expand elsewhere).”

According to a UTAPS press release, the vehicles will be parked by an attendant when brought to a specific location and returned to that same location upon the driver’s return.

Fox said by offering the service, UTAPS is making efforts to increase customer service and to meet the needs expressed by the campus community. She added that all convenience fees will go directly to the outside company, which is providing the service.

“There will be no additional payments made by the university to the outside company for its service,” Fox said.

The decision to make Parking Structure III student-only was handed down by UTAPS on Dec. 5 and has been well-received by a number of students.

“I think that Structure III being student-only is really going to help (students),” said junior communications major Janice Cruz. “I think it was a great idea on the part of UTAPS and will attract more students to the campus.”

Undeclared sophomore Sheri Pham agreed that UTAPS made the right decision and said that Parking Structure III should be student-only because students paid for it.

Fox said the opening of the structure will bring parking relief for everyone and will add approximately 3,000 parking spaces to the campus inventory. She said that of those 3,000 spots, 200 will be used as disabled and special function parking, with the remaining 2,800 spaces left for students.

Associate Vice President of Business Operations Ronald Grant said part of the reasoning behind the decision to make Parking Structure III student only is that UTAPS is trying to separate the parking for faculty and staff from the parking for students.

“After a lot of discussion, we decided that making (Parking Structure III student-only) was the easiest and safest way to accomplish this,” Grant said. “The (other) reasoning behind (the decision) is that it goes along with past practice as (is the case) with Parking Structure II.”

With this in mind, UTAPS decided, out of fairness to the faculty and staff, to make Parking Lots 4 and 6, which are currently student and faculty and staff parking lots, faculty and staff only.

These changes mean that Parking Lots 4 and 6, which currently have a combined total of 234 faculty and staff spaces, will, as of next semester, have 310 additional spaces that are available only to Sacramento State faculty and staff members.

While a number of faculty members are not pleased with the changes, lecturer Bob Buckley said the real problem is not with Parking Structure III, but with the current state of Parking Structure II.

“The issue is with Structure II,” Buckley said. “The fact that faculty fees contributed to the building of Structure II and we aren’t allowed to use it is (absurd).”

Fox said that by making these adjustments, UTAPS will not only be addressing the campus’ shortage of faculty and staff parking spaces, but will also be restoring those spaces claimed by construction.

“Allocating parking in campus parking lots is a function routinely performed by UTAPS,” Fox said. “(With the changes), there will be more parking available for students, faculty and staff. There should also be a reduction in traffic congestion and in the amount of vehicles waiting in the parking lots for a space to open up.”

Ashley Evans can be reached at [email protected].