2008 Woodie Awards
Protest Speeches
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Cari Watts, negotiations and conflict management student and president of GSS:
"When putting together the parking model, the only number the administration took into account was the time that [students] spent in class. The SGA took the time to get the numbers that the administration didn't deem necessary to gather."
Work-study employees: 50,000 hours in one year
Athletic Club: 38,565 ID swipes in nine months (at least 80 percent being students)
SEB events: 1,140 people in attendance at eight events since the fall
Clubs and organizations participants: 1,010 in one year
CSI puts on 765 events in one year
Fourth-floor student organization space: 502 students per month
Computer labs: 1,305 students in one computer lab (AC 103) in one week
Academic Resource Center: 6,446 visits in one year
Langsdale Library: 60,465 passes through the gates in nine months (at least 95 percent being students)
The Career Center: 553 visits in six months (at least 84 percent being current students)
Source: Student Government Association
Chris Matthai, business administration student:
On a typical week, I spend about 40 to 48 hours a week here. Under the current, current pay plan, I will be paying about $1,200 to $1,400 a year in parking alone. I've taken this to heart…the Merrick School of Business really practices what it preaches; they should also know the effect that $1,200 added to an additional $3,400 [in tuition] is going to affect the demand of the services for this university.
Chris Pirog, finance student and treasurer:
One of the challenges that was brought up is how will have speakers come here and pay for parking; in addition, how would you have students come who normally wouldn't be here to attend your events and pay for parking? Administration says [the SGA] can provide money for them, to increase their budgets to pay for the parking. Well, I have news for you: We crunched the numbers and there's just no money for that. So, [students] would be forced to bear the burden of that and to come up with alternative funds, which isn't something we want to put on you.
Administration said they would have us involved in a discussion as far back as September 2007 when they first brought it to the attention of the Presidents' Council of this funding increase. As far as I know, no discussion ever took place of any real substance; they were just "keeping us informed" of decisions that were being made without us. They never asked for our input. They never came to us with a plan before it was decided and signed. That's just not the way that things should be done when you have student leaders who are fighting for [students], to advocate for [students].
Josh Polanco, marketing student and USS webmaster:
The Middle States Report came and they had some recommendations for UB. One of them was "focus on improving communication of senior-level decision-making and delineating roles of stakeholders." While, obviously, they haven't followed that communication; they haven't followed any of that.
"Honor principles of shared governance"—they haven't worked with us at all. So they're not even letting us voice opinions.
"Review use of the Student Center; make it more accessible to students." We have an awesome Student Center, but next semester, how many people are going to be using it if they're afraid of parking fees?
Adam Lynn, 2L:
"You know, [text]books are going up. I spent $800 on books this semester. I have to do that again next year—twice maybe. And then this parking is going to go up? Some of us borrow [money through] loans, some people borrow the maximum—we're not going to be able to cover it!"
Andrew Saller, 2L and SBA treasurer:
As a business model, it is fatally flawed. It makes no sense. Services are diminishing, yet the cost is increasing. It makes no sense. If your landlord came to you and said, "I'm going to stick you in a smaller apartment and charge more rent," you would say, "Hell no."…If the university comes to you and says, "I'm going to start charging you more money just to come to class," you would say, "No." It just makes no sense.
The question is: who is going to benefit? Is it going to be you? Is it going to be you? Is it going to be you? No. Is it going to be the School of Law? No. Is it going to be the College of Liberal Arts? No. Is it going to be the Merrick School of Business? No. You know who's going to benefit? PMI and Sallie Mae. When you're paying interest rates that are going to exceed the cost of subsidized Stafford loans, it's going to be Sallie Mae that's going to be making money off of you.
You're education is not going to get any better; it's going to get worse because you're going to be out there commuting for half an hour to get to class after you commute to get there to park. It makes no sense. Why would you want to do this? You don't. But they want you to.
How much is President Bogomolny paying for parking? He makes over $200,000 a year—a lot less than all of you. That makes no sense. This whole proposal makes no sense. The dean of the School of Law, a wonderful man, makes the most out of any administrator here—he's going to pay less than me. The vice presidents—they're going to pay less than me. Why is a student, when I'm paying $20,000 plus to go here, going to pay more than a man who makes more than $200,000 a year? This whole thing makes no sense.
[As a member of multiple student and campus organizations,] all of these things will suffer when I'm trying to tell my members, trying to tell guest speakers, trying to tell anyone who's interested to come to campus to speak or engage in an activity, "Yeah, you're going to have to pay a lot of money to park. How much are we going to have to pay to park? Well, let me get my little sheet out; let's see how long you're here. Oh, well we'll try to keep it under 3 1/2 hours so we can get out at the cheaper rate, but you know, if it goes over 3 1/2, you may to have to pay this, but make sure you're not here eight [hours] because then you're really in trouble." Do they honestly expect me to try and have this dialogue with someone?
Furthermore, I go to the Law Library. "Oh crap, I forgot my textbook at home. Oh, I'm going to have to shell out another $4 to come to my own library to study." Who thought of this? It makes no sense.
And if I'm only in class for an hour, am I going to get a credit for those 2 1/2 hours I leave the garage early? If you think so, I'll be seeing you outside waiting for Santa and the Easter Bunny.
The union got a better deal than we are, the professors got a better deal than we are, why are the students, who make up this university, getting the worst deal possible? If you even consider that a deal, I would just consider it a fleecing. They're just taking our money and giving us nothing of quality in return, other than a hike to commute to a parking lot to commute to class. They're going to say, "Public transportation." When's President Bob going to ride a bus with me? I'm available whenever he wants to go. Or the light rail. When I leave the Law School Library at midnight, I'll go ride the light rail with him back to Mt. Washington and anyone else who wants to come.
Interest rates are skyrocketing, student debt is skyrocketing, and they're asking us to incur more student debt just to drive to class. Over a 30-year repayment plan, the average interest rates are going to be around 10 percent, unfortunately, you are looking at paying double to triple what you take out in loans today to pay for parking to come to class to take out more loans to pay for the classes. It is outrageous. It makes no sense. I don't want it. We shouldn't want it. We don't want it.
Scarlett Corso, 1L and first-year SBA representative:
This is clearly a day for revolution. For the first time, the entire campus is united in a front. Today is about every student expressing his or her view of this—this parking issue. And this shows that this is a common thread that has united us all. It doesn't matter what school you're in—Law School, undergrad, administration, faculty, day student, night student—this is unavoidably affecting everyone. I think the administration just expects us to roll over the same way we've always done and complacently accept these financial demands that they are making upon us. You know what? This didn't happen.
The goal is to build a student life, and we are not the same university we were four years ago. Then, there was a lack of unity, now, there is. Administration, you guys need to wake up. We're coming together on this at your request. We're here. We've embraced the idea of a common SGA. And this parking now threatens all of the student life that we've worked so hard to develop.
How can we be expected to spend more time on campus, to give back to our school, to participate in clubs, to do things like Community Service Day if it is going to be taken directly out of our pocket. This is a commuter school, and suddenly you're saying, "Take the public transportation." I don't know if you've seen the public transportation. When was the last time somebody from the administration hopped on the bus to come down to school? Cause let me tell you something: I've got $500 worth of Law School case books and a $2000 laptop. I'll be damned if I'm getting on the bus.
The purpose of all this is to say that this sort of lack of communication, completely ignoring the students' needs, it is unacceptable. The administration are here because we pay them to be here. They don't pay to work here. We pay them to work here. So why aren't they serving us?
We have a choice where our money goes, and we will not stand idly by and be pushed around. We're saying that we have a voice, and that is something to be proud of.
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