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TechnoratiEditorial SAIT servicing mortage, not serving students
SAIT claims its involvement with the Sears parking permit issue is to protect students and staff from unintentionally breaking a bylaw.
In an email sent to SAIT staff VP External Relations Guy Mallabone states, “representatives from SAIT met with Sears after we learned that students and staff were parking on their premises. We believed that the parking lot at Sears was only zoned for dedicated retail parking. In order to protect our students and staff from unknowingly breaking a by-law, SAIT met with Sears to ask if they had the authority to sell parking permits.”
Puhlease.
If we take SAIT’s explanation at face value it’s nothing more than paternalistic nonsense. But we don’t accept SAIT’s explanation.
Because what it looks like is that SAIT is trying to pay off its mortgage on the parking garage, which isn’t filled to capacity most days. It looks like SAIT wants a local monopoly on parking to support the outrageous $12 per day parking fees - a price many students cannot afford.
Just sayin”.
Transit access to campus is great if you live close to an LRT station or bus stop. But it’s not convenient for everyone. There are students who come from out of town, parents who have to drop off children at daycare (due to a lack of on-campus childcare, but that’s for another day) and students who need to get to work after classes.
The Students’ Association has asked the SAIT Board of Governors and executives to remain neutral on the Sears parking permit application. Mallabone’s email states they won’t interfer in the process.
It’s easy to say they’ll remain neutral now that they’ve already stirred it up.
If SAIT wants to protect students, perhaps they should consider lowering parking prices to something more manageable on a student budget. Stop gouging students on parking.