Dear Editor,I would like to formally express disappointment and irritation at the Parking Office, a division of Public Safety. I am a Community Advisor in North Quad and am in charge of the North Quad Office. This entails leaving campus a lot and running errands. I have a car, which is good for the Quad considering the Quad Director himself has no car. However, I was "granted" parking in X-Lot-near Ziv, Ridgewood, and T-Lot. I formally wrote to Sergeant Betty Reilly and Chief Callahan on several occasions explaining my situation, but I was simply told that sophomores cannot be issued any of the 8 spots in N-Lot (the lot around North Quad). Seeing as no one but freshmen and a few scattered sophomores live in North Quad, I ask-who are granted the spots in North Quad? The answer is people who don't live in North Quad. That's correct, the 8 spots in North Quad are granted to very few upperclass Community Advisors in North, and the rest go to Juniors and Seniors that happen to live elsewhere, like the Castle.

North Lot is composed of many, many spots. Most of these spots are used to Staff who work in Kutz or some building nearby. However, even with all of the demand for spots by the Staff, there are a great deal of spots leftover. What happens is, these spots are taken by people who have parking elsewhere, and these cars are ticketed. Thus, I suppose that N-Lot is not merely just a lot in North Quad to which few people from North Quad have access, but also a scheme to earn revenue from them. By having a lot with many spaces, and only assigning some of them to actual cars, the lot has empty spots-these spots are not given away on purpose-in order to take advantage of people, in other words--Brandeis Students, who may try to park there.

When I wrote the authorities in the Department of Public Safety and the Parking Office, I asked for an exception to considered. Since the Quad Director in North Quad has no car, and I help him out when he needs to go off-campus for North Quad errands or when I myself need to get things specifically for the Quad. Because of this, the Department of Residence Life also asked to get me a parking spot in N-Lot. This request was also dismissed. I know that exceptions are granted to students-especially leaders of important clubs and organizations. I ask-why do these situations constitute grounds for a parking "exception" to be made, but not a Community Advisor? No, a live-in, round-the-clock position doesn't merit an exception. Freshmen are also granted parking, an exception which is also against policy, if they can give a justification for needing a permit. Several freshmen living in North Quad have been issued parking stickers, one of whom has no justification whatsoever.

Exceptions are made to some, but not to others with a legitimate reason. It's pressing that the coordinator of a club gets parking. However, it's obvious that Community Advisors, a job entailing just as much work and importance (if not more) than any head of a club, don't deserve any exceptions or at least special considertion.

Where's the fairness? Or is it all, once again, just about revenue and completely turning one's shoulder to an actual, legitimate and fair student request?

-David Libber '06