After students were welcomed back with 133 fewer S parking spots at the beginning of Winter Quarter, Sixth College sophomore Allison Platt started a petition and Facebook group on Jan. 25 to ask for more parking spaces.

“I have a car here on campus and they removed a lot of S spots from the Sixth College apartment area,” Platt said. “I have to park in overflow almost every time I go to campus [and I was] fed up with paying a $600 parking pass to park so far and have to walk with a friend late at night.”

Platt wanted to change the transportation system and approached A.S. President Wafa Ben Hassine, who suggested she start a petition.

“A lot of students are a little frustrated that S spots are being converted to A and B spots without the consultation of students and [Platt] just wanted to express that,” Ben Hassine said.

Platt is currently working with Ben Hassine to move forward with the petition.

“I’m going to meet with the A.S. president to get this issue spoken about in A.S., and hopefully get our resolution in support with that and be able to bring it to the Chancellor,” Platt said.

At press time, 2,296 individuals — mostly undergraduate students — have signed the petition online at the A.S. Council’s website. Platt said she is aiming for 22,000 signatures because it is the approximate number of undergraduates on campus.

“I started the petition [on Tuesday, Jan. 25] at 1 p.m.,” Platt said. “Within the first hour, I had 200 signatures and within four hours, I had 800.”

Over winter break, Transportation and Parking Services reallocated and reduced the number of parking spots to make room for new construction projects, mostly from lots in Sixth and Revelle College.

Since A and B spots were reduced, S parking spots have taken the hit. Displaced S parkers have to park on the East Campus parking lots where there are about 1,200 open spaces, according to Resource Management and Planning Communications director Rex Graham.

In P603 — a parking lot in Basic Science Building South in the School of Medicine that has no S spots —148 spaces were taken away from a total of 228 spots (that previously included 157 A spaces). In the lot, 146 A spaces were taken away and only six visitor-pay-and-display spots added.

To even out the distribution, 140 B spaces in Gilman Parking Structure and P604 (on the corner of Osler Lane and Gilman Drive, near the School of Medicine) will also be taken away.

To replace those lost B spaces, 98 S spots in P406 (located in Sixth College, on the south side of Pepper Canyon apartments) and 35 S spots in P102 (located in Revelle College by La Jolla Playhouse) were converted to B spots.

Graham said they may change spaces in P401 (located in Sixth College, on the north side of Pepper Canyon apartments) to B at some point in the future.

Graham said the allocation of parking spots gives precedence to A spaces, followed by B and then S spaces in terms of proximity to a building or area.

“We’re at the bottom of the food chain,” Platt said. “That order needs to be re-evaluated because the undergraduate students make up a majority of the campus.”

Platt said this does not mean creating more parking spaces, lots or structures, but instead for A and B spots to be reallocated to S spots.

With a total of 14,138 parking spaces on campus, there are 4,910 S spots, 1,858 A spots, 4,145 B spots and 1,084 visitor spaces as of Jan. 1.

The approved re-allocation of spaces was proposed by the Transportation Policy Committee, which is an advisory board made up of students and administrators.

The idea was proposed to TPC on Dec. 6. Transportation Services then implemented the space changes after surveys, feedback from stakeholders and allocation procedure, Graham said.

The UC system does not receive state funding for parking.

According to Graham, there are currently an estimated 28,550 students, compared to 19,681 in 2001. Each day in 2010, 53,000 people commuted to campus, as opposed to 38,000 in 2001. Last year, about 32,000 vehicles commute to campus, with 44 percent traveling in single-occupancy vehicles.

“Overall, the numbers of single-occupancy vehicle trips to the campus have been falling due to a variety of alternative transportation solutions that reduce traffic and lower the carbon footprint of the campus,” Graham said.

In 2001, there were 11,132 campus parking spaces. Nine years later, only 315 parking spaces were added.

“Greater usage of public transportation and other alternative transportation by students, faculty and staff reduces the need to build additional parking structures on campus,” Graham said.

Pratt said there is a better way to set up the transportation and commuter system for UCSD.

“A lot of buses don’t run late at night and we’re college students,” Platt said. “We need to be here late at night and we need to get transportation late at night and transportation doesn’t allow for that. That’s why people get and need cars, it’s because public transportation in San Diego is not that great.”

Readers can contact Regina Ip at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By Regina Ip and Chris McCoy

The UC Board of Regents convened on Jan. 19 in Price Center West Ballroom to discuss a new admissions process in addition to the possibilities of tuition increases, staff reductions and increased non-resident admissions to combat state budget shortfalls.

On the second day of the three-day meeting, the discussion largely focused on the funding challenge brought about Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2011-12 budget plan — which includes a $500-million budget cut to the UC system due to the state’s $26-billion deficit.

“Students are real upset,” UC President Mark G. Yudof said. “I don’t blame them.”

The meeting began with public comment, where members of the Coalition of University Employees said that if they were allied with the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters union, they could negotiate better contracts.

Students showed support for a holistic admission process and thanked the Regents for their initiative. Students also came to protest budget cuts and asked that cuts do not lead to fee increases.

For the rest of the hour, the Regents responded to budget concerns by the public.

“These cuts will be painful…for every section of the state,” Yudof said. “We have increased fees by 40 percent in three years. My prediction is that the moment is fast approaching that the university will not be able to accept all California applicants who are eligible.”

Yudof said the UC campuses can admit 20,000 to 30,000 more, but they do not have enough state support to fund a quality education.

“I take Yudof seriously when he says Brown is serious about the $500-million cut,” Student Regent and UCI senior Jesse Cheng said. “We have to move forward and continue defending ourselves from fee increases and budget cuts.”

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed the creation of an online portal for budget suggestions from California faculty, student and citizens. One regent even suggested that sales taxes fund the UC system.

“The University of California is an institution of public access,” faculty representative Dan Simmons said. “Our commitment to the public good is one of our primary drivers. Our doors must remain open to students from all parts, [including] low- and middle-income families.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson called the budget cuts “tragic trajectories.”

Vice Chairman of the Board of Regents Sherry Lansing said the UC Regents “must concentrate on quality. We have to think out of the box. The most important thing we have to think about are resources of revenue.”

“We need a ‘Save UC’ campaign right now,” Regent George M. Marcus said. “My son will contribute $100,000 now.”

He received a round of applause after he shouted, “Let’s get a campaign going. This is serious!”

Afterwards, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox talked about campus climate, noting that 60 more African American students and 24 Native Americans are enrolling this year.

Fox also spoke about UCSD’s access efforts, which include overnight events and outreach programs to high schools.

Fox noted the need for future revenue, which could come from accepting more non-residents as well as philanthropy, increased contract and grant awards and new partnerships.

“Our future depends on the strength of new research partnerships,” Fox said.

The meeting then started with the Committee on Educational Policy, which discussed a new admissions process for undergraduate applications.

The committee endorsed the resolution for a individualized holistic review, which would examine achievements within the context of opportunities available to the student.

“These [applicants] know, besides doing well on SATs [and] grade point average, they need to do community service,” Regent Richard C. Blum said. “They also know that they need to be good citizen[s] on campus.”

Cheng supported the decision.

“The admissions decision is a really great thing that happened, because it’s something I’ve been fighting for since I was a first year,” Cheng said.

Vice President of Budget Patrick Lenz gave a presentation on the funding alternatives for Brown’s recommendations.
Fox said the effects of impending cuts will put a strain on UCSD.

“We put additional pressure on affordability,” Fox said. “We won’t be able to attract grad students or afford retention packages.”

UCSA President Claudia Magaña said the fee increases have always been in direct conflict with the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

“You are exhausting this funding source too severely, too quickly,” Magaña said to the Regents.
Meetings ended with closed and Regents-only sessions to discuss compensation and finance.

The last time the Regents met in San Diego was January 2006.

“We generally have only one or two meetings a year on campuses other than UCSF because it is more cost effective to have them in San Francisco,” UCOP spokesperson Steve Montiel said in an e-mail. “It is important, however, to hold the meetings at different UC campuses so that students and faculty can participate directly in the meetings.”

UCOP Vice President for Communications Lynn Tierney praised UCSD’s campus.

“We also came because it was the 50th anniversary and it’s gorgeous.”

At yesterday’s meeting, the UC Regents discussed the UC Sustainability report in addition to capital improvements at other campuses.

At the last meeting tomorrow, the Regents will vote on compensation for UC Merced’s Interim Vice Chancellor, in addition to several laboratory directors, who will receive at least a 1.8-percent increase in their base salaries, which are $274,008 and above. The salary increases will be funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

During the Thursday meeting, representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 union will demonstrate outside to denounce the $2.1 million executive perks.

“We’re protesting the Regents giving more bonuses to executives at the same time [as] increasing fees for students and attacking workers’ retirement,” AFSCME Local 3299 Lead Organizer Matias Marin said.

Marin said they will be giving a performance as part of their protest.

“We’re going to do something we haven’t really done before,” Marin said. “We’re [going to do] street theater to explain what’s going on as the United Farm Workers did in their day.”

Readers can contact Regina Ip at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

After the D.R.E.A.M. Act failed in the U.S. Senate last month, proponents who want to allow eligible undocumented students to receive the same financial aid benefits as residents are reintroducing a new version of the act under a new governor’s office.

Next month’s WTF — or Winter Triton Festival, a three-hour comedy performance — will be the first large-scale event hosted by A.S. Council since the WinterFest concert was scrapped three years ago.

Today is the last day for members of United Auto Workers 2865 — a union representing more than 12,000 academic senate employees at University of California campuses — to vote on the controversial agreement made between union negotiators and the UC system.

Internationally renowned UCSD professor Chalmers Johnson died in his home in Cardiff-by-the-Sea on Saturday, Nov. 20.

The man suspected of murdering Lorena Gonzalez — the homicide victim whose body was found in a burning car on the UCSD campus — will have his preliminary trial at the Central Courthouse in downtown San Diego on March 10.

UC academic student employees announced a statewide meeting yesterday to discuss disagreements over the tentative labor contract made with UC officials on Nov. 17.

The California Supreme Court voted unanimously last Monday to uphold  a bill to allow certain out-of-state residents — including undocumented students — to pay in-state tuition while attending California’s public universities and colleges. But the bill, Assembly Bill 540, does not allow undocumented states to apply for financial aid at the federal, state or university level.

Snap your fingers, A.S. Council just added another tally to their list of meetings that finished under an hour.