A parking resolution may be introduced to the Student Senate for the first time at this week’s senate meeting.

Student Senate members James Patton, Kaci Abolt and Zach Samples are the authors of the resolution.

“The best thing would be to build a brand new parking lot; however, this is not possible with how the economy is right now,” said James Patton, chair of the Panther Express committee.

The resolution is proposing there will be no distinction between upperclassman and underclassman parking. Instead, it will be general student parking.

Underclassmen will still have to pay higher fees for parking permits.

After having a meeting with Chief Adam J. Due of the University Police Department last Thursday, Abolt said she is excited to see how the resolution turns out.

“After reading our resolution, Chief Due suggested the idea for combining upperclassman and underclassman parking,” Abolt said.

Samples, Patton and Abolt met with Dan Nadler, vice president of student affairs Tuesday afternoon.

“After meeting with Dr. Nadler, he said it was worth looking into and has to ask different people questions and then he’ll get back to us,” said Samples, a senate member.

Patton said he thinks the combination of parking will help eliminate confusion and parking tickets.

“By having the combined parking, I feel that students will feel safer at night because they may find parking spots closer to their dorms and not have to walk as far alone,” Abolt said.

After meeting with Due, Samples said he thinks the parking resolution will help get rid of the headache the UPD has with parking.

“The UPD can refocus their efforts on more important issues if parking is taken care of,” Samples said.

Also at the Student Senate meeting, a bill for purchasing food for the Student Senate Open Forum will be voted on.

Each semester, student government buys food and refreshments and holds a mingle session and student government meeting in the University Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

This meeting is called the Student Government Open Forum.

“The meeting is giving students incentive to come to a student government meeting and to see how a regular student government meeting is run,” said Student Senate Speaker Jarrod Scherle.

A resolution written by Samples recognizing the Illinois Resident Hall Association will also be discussed at the meeting.

“IRHA brings students from all across Illinois to Eastern to further their leadership abilities,” Samples said.

Samples said he wrote the resolution to recognize the hard work that the conference committee, which is made up of members of National Residence Hall Honorary and Resident Hall Association, has put into the upcoming IRHA conference.

If the resolution passes Wednesday night, Samples will take a copy of the resolution to the RHA meeting Thursday night and present it to them.

Erin Riedl can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].