Parking director speaks on changes to system

Most Tech students have noticed recent changes in the parking situations on campus. With the start of the fall semester, several new initiatives began, and on Nov. 14, 1999, Rodney Weis became the new Director of Parking and Transportation.

A new change, implemented under Mr. Weis, will occur April 17-June 15 when the Parking Department initiates its web-based registration program. This will allow students to fill out the application at home and not waste so much time waiting in lines or at the office.

Another change that has sweeping affects across the campus is the installation and use of new parking management software in the Parking Department. This software, named T2, manages permits and citations and allows the staff to extract information more readily and speedily. Upon installation of this software, many outstanding citations were discovered.

Contrary to the rumors circulating campus, only citations for the past two years will be collected and enforced. Currently the Parking and Transportation Office is working to match vehicles to owners, beginning with those who owe the most. Mr. Weis estimates that there were at least 100 people owing $750 or more. While aware of the fact that part of the problem in the past was the system and that students could get away with not ever paying citations, Mr. Weis plans to keep up the increased enforcement measures that have existed since the fall.

This amplified enforcement has been obvious in the increased number of towings, citations, and warning stickers. From this point forward, there will be a great effort on the part of the parking office to make sure students never get in the position of owing hunreds of dollars. Ten days after receiving a citation, also the end of the appeal period, students will receive a letter notifying them of their outstanding fine. After 20-30 days another letter will be sent. After that point the fee transfers to the Bursar's office.

While many students feel the changes are unfair or aimed at monetary gains, Mr. Weis explains, "I don't like towing, my staff doesn't like towing, but the students must understand that the chances of an unregistered vehicle are great. It's a common misconception that we love citation revenue, but we don't. Our goal is to reduce the number of citations."

As far as looking towards the future of parking a Georgia Tech, Mr. Weis has many plans and many goals. One key idea to his view on parking is "changing the view from students and faculty to customers."

He also believes that the changes incorporated on campus require changing behavior and he realizes that "changing behavior can be tough." He and the Parking Department are willing to talk to and work with students. In fact, Mr. Weis encourages that students with questions or concerns, especially about rumors circulating campus, get in touch with him, the office or check the parking bulletin board.

Increasing the availability and convenience of visitor parking spaces, improving the on campus transit system, and continuing the technological upgrades of the Parking Department are all areas Mr. Weis plans to focus his energy. Mr. Weis is especially interested in helping educate the students about the changes and is open to ideas about how to best improve the Stinger service.

"I would like to meet with interested groups or hold town meetings to show students their options and the costs of each option and decide together which one we think is the best," says Mr. Weis on increasing the usefulness and effectiveness of the Stinger service.

Mr. Weis came to Georgia Tech from the University of Illinois where he served as the Director of Parking for four years and as the Associate Director of Project Planning and Facilities for a year and a half. Prior to working at the University of Illinois, he served as the Director of Operations for the Lexington Kentucky transit district. As a student at Iowa State, he worked for the Ames transit agency.