The University Senate recommends that the current on-campus parking benefit be continued at no cost to faculty and staff. Furthermore, we direct the Fringe Benefits Committee to organize Senate-sponsored campus forums to solicit employee opinions and potential solutions regarding parking issues. The Fringe Benefits Committee is also directed to report the results of the forums to the full Senate.
RATIONALE
Parking is a significant fringe benefit currently available at no cost to the faculty and staff at MTU. However, despite the ongoing erosion in salaries and fringe benefits caused by the University's financial difficulties, a number of parking fee proposals are being openly discussed on campus. We feel that proposals involving high user fees are onerous and unnecessary. Furthermore, parking fees of any size will have a particularly regressive impact on low-income employees.
By holding campus forums, we plan to involve employees in identifying creative ways to retain accessible, no-cost parking for employees at a minimal cost to the University.
Draft of 22 October 2001