The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Parking Board of Appeals tardy to work

Although a handful of students and area residents arrived to face the SIUC Parking Division's Board of Appeals promptly at 10 a.m. Thursday, there was confusion as to why the board did not.

Campus parking violators who chose to appeal were sent letters indicating that administrative hearings would be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday in the Recreation Center's Alumni Lounge.

Joel Willis, 25, of Carbondale, took the morning off from work so he could arrive at 9:45 a.m. to have his appeal heard. The board, or anybody with answers, did not show up.

After waiting about 15 minutes, Willis asked a receptionist at the Recreation Center about the delay. The receptionist said the hearings were scheduled only from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. With the letter in hand, Willis and another appealer drove to the Parking Division office in search of answers.

"We said, 'What's going on? Here's this letter that says there is this appointment from 10 to 12,'" Willis said. "'Here it is, right here in writing.'"

The Parking Division told Willis it didn't know why the board failed to appear.

The DAILY EGYPTIAN contacted the Parking Division Thursday afternoon but was told only the administrator, Brian Mager, who is out of the office for the rest of the week, could comment on the situation.

A letter was eventually placed in the lounge that read, due to "unforeseeable circumstances," the board would meet only from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Appealers, including Willis, managed to face the board after 1 p.m., but the mix-up inconvenienced many.

Vishal Gupta, a graduate student in mining engineering, arrived at the Recreation Center at 11 a.m. to have his appeal heard, but left with many of the same questions as Willis. Gupta was finally heard at 2 p.m., but the runaround cost him valuable study time, he said.

As Gupta patiently waited in the lounge just before 2 p.m., he was anxiously anticipating a 6 p.m. exam he was forced to put off studying for.

"If they would have told me, I would have prepared for my exam last night," Gupta said. "Now I'll wait here and then I'll go study for my exam."

It was five minutes later when Gupta walked out of the hearing. He was told that he would be contacted in a few weeks with a decision.

The Parking Division told Elaine Carter, a sophomore in art, at around 10:30 a.m. that it could not get the board together.

"They didn't tell me much," said Carter, who was forced to miss her morning and afternoon classes.

Carter said she hopes the board takes into consideration the hassle imposed on many of the appealers, referring to Section 7-101 B of the Parking Division's rules and regulations which states anyone who does not show for their scheduled hearing will be subject to pay the fine.

"I think it should be the same in reverse if they don't show," Carter said. "Our tickets should be cancelled.

"I'm just [mad] more than anything for the inconvenience."

 

 

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