A new Staff Senate resolution seeks to attain an “equitable parking fee” for Facility Services staff who work the night shift.Staff Senate Resolution 02-09 asks the Office of Financial and Administrative Services to reconsider the amount charged to after-hours workers who occupy the reserved lots for only a short period of time.The night shift for these workers, most of whom are custodians, begins at 3:30 p.m. The employees park in a reserved lot near the building where they will be working that night. But the lot is only reserved until 4:30 p.m., when the Easy Streets gates open.”They are only parked for one hour while Easy Streets is in effect,” said Chad Gothreaux, Staff Senate president-elect.Because of the short time they are using the lot while it’s reserved, night shift workers are offered a prorated parking plan at 50 percent off of the full price. They pay $104.50 per year, half of the $209 fee for parking plan B, which allows access to lots at the center of campus.These workers and the Staff Senate feel this cost is still too much for one hour of parking per day. The resolution seeks a prorated hourly fee.”These are some of the lowest paid employees on campus,” Gothreaux said. “They should only be charged for the time the lots are reserved.”Gothreaux acknowledged night workers have other options besides paying the parking fee, including parking on the outskirts of campus and using the jitney service, which transports members of University faculty and staff.But if all the after-hours employees used the jitney, Gothreaux said, the system would be clogged and ineffective.Kim Gardiner, assistant director of Facility Services, said not parking in a reserved lot creates a safety issue for the workers.The Staff Senate unanimously passed the resolution at its February meeting, and it will now be sent to the provost for consideration.—-Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]