The top level of Rappahannock Parking Deck on the morning of Wednesday, March 25. (Sam Douglas / Fourth Estate)
Administrators speak to students on the intricacies of parking and transportation
BY BASIL MUSTAFA, STAFF WRITER
On March 2, George Mason’s student government attempted to bridge the gap between parking administration and the student body by holding a parking town hall.
Director of George Mason University Parking and Transportation Josh Cantor, along with representatives from SP Plus, the third party that Mason uses for parking enforcement, spoke at the meeting. They discussed how parking is funded and the effects of weather on transport.
They also fielded questions from audience members.
Before the event started, students discussed among themselves their gripes with transportation, specifically shuttles from West Campus and Mason Square Campus.
Owynn Wise, student government’s campus operations liaison, began the meeting by introducing the administrators before Cantor took over.
Cantor described how parking and transportation works at Mason. He credited much of Mason’s progress in parking on their partnership with SP Plus, as they are able to assist Mason in completing parking and transport projects much faster.
“Universities and governments are not known for being very mobile and fast when it comes to [making purchases], so it’s a huge advantage that [SP Plus] brings nationwide resources,” Cantor added.
Mason’s shuttle program, however, is run through a partnership with Reston Limousine.
Cantor defined parking and transportation as a self-funded auxiliary, meaning that it doesn’t use any government funding or tuition dollars. Cantor said the 15,000 to 16,000 parking permits that Mason sells a semester is what is responsible for most of the funding.
He also mentioned that the Mason Pond parking lot is being renovated this summer.
As the event continued, Cantor talked about attempting to appropriately advertise shuttle services to Mason students and staff. He highlighted the importance of explaining where routes go, and the timeliness of the shuttles.
Although the event was advertised as a town hall, the low attendance and hefty amount of information provided by Cantor fostered a more lecture-style event.
Before the event, Wise explained that the majority of complaints he has received about parking at Mason pertained to “the cost of parking passes, as well as bus issues.”
Wise also spoke of how important attendance would be to the success of the event, and referred to the recent changes in the dining halls as a result of successful student government town halls.
