As students prepare to adjust to the recent changes to off-campus parking in the form of residential parking permits now being required by the City of Hayward, it is difficult to imagine how the parking situation for students could get any worse.
Proposals involving parking structures on campus to alleviate the difficult situation have not seen any further development, even as the fees for parking permits on campus continue to rise.
The inability of the administration to effectively deal with the parking situation on campus led to a new episode between students, local residents and the City of Hayward which exposed the tenuous relationship between the university and the city which has been growing ever since the university changed its name from “CSU Hayward” to “CSU East Bay.”
The administration did not inform students the city was considering residential parking permits. Nor did they actively attempt to keep the change from occurring.
Instead, the administration sent out a simple e-mail to students on Sep. 30 informing them of the change after the decision was made by the City of Hayward before resending the communiqué on Oct. 28.
This situation exposes a continuation of policy from previous administrations which has created a tenuous relationship between Hayward and CSUEB including a lack of substantive communication, which could have drastically affected the outcome of Hayward’s decision.
A decision made because of a problem that was created for residents and the City of Hayward due to the lack of an effective solution to the parking situation on campus from the administration.
This administration cannot continue the policies of previous administrations in choosing not to effectively deal with the City of Hayward and the local community. This situation has clearly exemplified how students wind up paying the price for the state of that relationship.
The administration could have reached out to the city to attempt to stop the residential parking permit decision or addressed the concerns of both students and residents directly. It largely chose not to.
This policy cannot continue.
In order to serve the best interest of students, the administration must reach out to the City of Hayward and establish clear channels of communication, push forward more initiatives directed at admitting students from the local area and work directly with the city on more programs intended for both residents and students.
CSUEB’s position in the hills should not be a sign of disconnect from the city but instead signal the university’s unique position in serving both the local community and the larger area as a whole. Ignoring that connection to the local community is directly costing students now.
In his convocation address, Interim President Dr. Leroy Morishita explained his number one priority is “students.” Unfortunately, he inherited a legacy of poor decisions by previous administrations towards both the parking situation and the City of Hayward, which have led to a difficult situation for those same students.
Now his administration has the clear opportunity to take a different path and re-establish the bond between the community and our university, an opportunity to do what is best for students.
