JOSHUA TIME 322

JOSHUA TIME PARK IT!
By; Joshua M. Robinson

JOSHUA TIME

My name is Joshua Robinson and I’m a 25-year-old man I have cerebral palsy, which effects my walking and my speech. I’m a too the point writer and sometimes too blunt of a person in my writings and emails.

EKU NEEDS TO PARK IT

This is for all students who drive especially the handicap stdents who drive yes handicap students do and can drive.

I know that students have to pay for parking permits. My dad has used my car to take my brother to school and every year my car gets a but load of tickets for no reason; my brother is temporarily legally blind. I have a handicap parking sticker issued by the state and I still got tickets. It is not fair nor right for students ot faculty to park a mile or more from their class, apartment, or dorm. For people like me who can not walk good and have to use a wheelchair to get to class it is absolutely terrible.

When I was at Lee university in Cleveland, Tennessee I nor any other students had to pay for parking also parking students could park closer to their classes and their dorms. Lee University was a private University meaning they could charge high tution and charge for parking however the difference is Lee University had accessible parking. Somerset Community although it was a commuter college they did not charge for parking. Somerset had about 6handicap parking spots most of those was taken and no tickets were given out. At Lee University when students parked in handicap spots they got a boot which is something on the wheel and you had to pay to get it off.

For cops and campus security who have nothing better to do than ticket cars they need to look at the cars that do not have handicap parking stickers. They do not do it and it is not right for cars that do have propper identification to be ticketed; especially when the campus is not accesible for any students. My dad has seen cars get towed just for parking legally. I have seen cars park in handicap spots with no handicap identification and those cars not get ticketed or towed.

EKU charges 30.00 a year for parking permits, lets not forget all the other expenses EKU and other schools, universities, and colleges charge. Its not fair an EKU NEEDS TO PARK IT!
It takes more time to park a car in the propper spot and walk to class and when a person gets to class they are so wore out its hard to learn. You can not enjoy class or learn when your out of breath looking for a parking spot; teachers and bosses do not like their students and or employees to be late for class/work. However when people have to park a mile or more a way from the class building, dorm, or apartment it gets bothersome. Its either park far away and be late to class or park close to class and risk being towed or ticketed. My dad has seen cars get towed just for parking legally. I have seen cars park in handicap spots with no handicap identification and those cars not get ticketed or towed.

Some one needs to rise up talk to EKU the campus security and talk to the cops.
I would love to see the cops and campus security be in the students position when it comes to parking, maybe then they would be learn how its like to park far away and still be expected to be at class/work on time.

I’ll be driving again after Feb 07 and this is another big ticket item for me. My back should be healed up it has been 6weeks since my back surgery and I have hated life. Since I will not have no help with my wheelchair, I will probably have to walk to class and I do fall a lot. I’m tough however I do not want to mess my surgery up. Nevertheless I chose to jump out of frying pan back in to the fire. I chose not to take a break after my surgery.

I chose to do something about the parking situation by writing this, see if I fall and get hurt or any one falls and gets hurt it is not mine nor the person that gets hurts People do not get hurt on purpose However walking can be a chore and hard to do for some people.

These options are realistic if done right; something needs to be done not just for me but for all students so here is my proposed challenges. 01 Lets carpool it will save gas plus it will give people a chance to help out. 02 Lets not get parking permits just walk to class. 03 The third option is risky but I’m going to say it lets park get ticketed or towed once there is no more cars to tow or ticket they lose money when they start losing money then students can talk to them. Because it is all about the money once the money goes the cops and the school will be able to talk.

For those who want a map of the EKU parking go here http://www.prm.eku.edu/web/campusmap/campusmap03feb2005.bmp

For people who have internet access you can look the parking rules up here at this address http://www.parking.eku.edu/parkreg/

I had emailed the parking office some questions they have not got back to me; here are the questions I emailed them and said, "I'm doing an article for the paper and I need to ask some questions about the parking.
01 How many handicap parking places are their on campus?
02 How many handicap parking places for each learning building and dorm?
03 How many parking permits were issued this year?
04 How many handicap parking permits were issued this year?
05 Why is a regular handicap state decal/permit not suficient?
Is this good to get no response? Are they hiding something?

I guess truth does hurt but they can handle it!!!

I know life can get hard and its easy to get bitter nevertheless we should not complain about something we are not willing to take a stand and do something about I have done my part by writing this. I hope others will stand with me and tell the school tell some one we need to make the campus and the class room buildings more accesible and accomadate people with disabilities.

If I could I would also like to plug my JOSHUA TIME SITE I created a website and I was wantting everyone that would to check it out I write everything on thissite... Check my site/blog out its an imformative and interesting with my thoughts and columns please stay a while the site is www.slicric147.blogspot.com I am real I am just trying to get people to check mysite out.

If you want to email me feel free to do so jrobinson01@adelphia.net slicric147@yahoo.com

THIS HAS BEEN A NO GAMES JOSHUA TIME ON THE EKU PARKING

JOSHUA M ROBINSON

PROGRESS STAFF WRITER

I DON’T PLAY ANY GAMES!