R.4
A Resolution Regarding Changes in Transportation Policy

Whereas the a series of community consultations between Transportation, the GPSA and the University Assembly occurred in 2005–2006 to elicit the needs of the graduate student community with respect to Parking and Transportation services; and

Whereas the GPSA worked extensively with the Transportation Department and other members of the campus community in 2005–2006 to devise the wording and distribution of the Transportation and General Environmental Impact Statement (T-GEIS) survey; and,

Whereas the GPSA sent the T-GEIS survey as a referendum for its constituency, sending the survey to all 6000 graduate and professional students to ascertain student needs for parking and bus services; and,

Whereas on September 18, 2006, Commuter and Parking Services changed all central visitor lots to �Flex� passes to protect �visitor-only� zones, neglecting the needs that drove graduate students to park in those short-term locations and the disruption that such changes created; and,

Whereas subsequent to September 18, 2006, evening parking allowances in lots in central campus which graduate students regularly use were also reassigned without notice; and

Whereas these changes were made without consulting the results of the T-GEIS survey, which are still undergoing �statistical analysis�; and,

Whereas to our knowledge there has been no opportunity for these concerns to be addressed at the UA Transportation Advisory Committee;

Be it therefore resolved that the GPSA disapproves of these policy changes made in the absence of input on graduate student parking needs from the T-GEIS survey or from TAC; and,

Be it further resolved that the GPSA demands the release of the T-GEIS survey as soon as possible, and calls upon Transportation and Mail Services and the Transportation Advisory Committee take action to ensure the document is released to the Cornell Community by December 1, 2006; and,

Be it further resolved that the GPSA recommends Commuter and Parking Services refrain from making policy changes in transportation and parking regulations until the results from the T-GEIS survey are released; and,

Be it further resolved that the GPSA requests the University Assembly convene its Transportation Advisory Committee at its earliest possible convenience; and

Be it further resolved that this resolution be sent to Richard McDaniel, Associate Vice President, Bill Wendt, Director of Transportation Services, to David Leib, Assistant Director for Public Information Transportation and Mail Services, to Anne Beggs, the GPSA representative on the Campus Master Plan committee, to the members of the UA�s Transportation Advisory Committee, and to Dean of Graduate Studies Alison Power.

Respectfully Submitted,

Janet Vertesi
President, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly

Kim Falinski
GPSA Representative to the UA Transportation Advisory Council