Logic 101
As a soon-to-be 4th year veterinary student, my life is facing many changes. Perhaps the most significant (or at least the most expensive...so far) is the purchase of a U of I parking pass. You've probably heard stories about the cost of U of I parking. Indeed. $162 for 3 1/2 months. But that's not the point of this story.
When I arrived at the parking office, I asked to see a map of the campus - to determine the name of the lot that I wanted. It's "F27," by the way - a big green patch on the map. (According to the key, green means "student lot.") So I handed the lady my credit card and asked to purchase a summer space in lot F27. "Did you have a space in the Spring?" she asked. "Are you on the F27 waitlist?" "No," I answered, " but there are always open spaces in the summer." So she explained that according to their policy, students are only guaranteed a fall space if they've also purchased a space in the summer. (Talk about a money-making scheme!) I already knew this, so I responded that with 100+ graduating seniors, there have to be some summer spaces not claimed. "Yes, you're right," she said. "But those spaces are reserved for waitlisted students - and we don't check the waitlist until the fall."
"So what you're telling me is that you have parking spaces that you're not making money off of, which I want to pay you money for, but you won't sell it to me." (At this point I waved my credit card around again for good measure.) "YES," she said. ! "Aren't you supposed to want my money?" "Not that much," she answered (and with a straight face, no less). !!
She tried to explain. "This lot follows different rules than the others, because it's a faculty lot." Ok, now I know I've caught her. The map she'd shown me a few minutes before showed (in careful green marking) that this is a student lot. She responded - "The reason that the map shows it as a student lot is because that map is old and hasn't been updated... That lot has never been a student lot." !!!
So 20 minutes and $162 later, I have my parking pass - on the side of Lincoln Ave - I get to walk every day through an empty parking lot to reach the hospital. I swear that as I left the building, I noticed a giant glowing red eye hovering over the top of it.
-Tamara
p.s. I wanted to give you a link to the campus parking map (which even online has F27 marked carefully in green) - but it crashed my browser. Twice.
When I arrived at the parking office, I asked to see a map of the campus - to determine the name of the lot that I wanted. It's "F27," by the way - a big green patch on the map. (According to the key, green means "student lot.") So I handed the lady my credit card and asked to purchase a summer space in lot F27. "Did you have a space in the Spring?" she asked. "Are you on the F27 waitlist?" "No," I answered, " but there are always open spaces in the summer." So she explained that according to their policy, students are only guaranteed a fall space if they've also purchased a space in the summer. (Talk about a money-making scheme!) I already knew this, so I responded that with 100+ graduating seniors, there have to be some summer spaces not claimed. "Yes, you're right," she said. "But those spaces are reserved for waitlisted students - and we don't check the waitlist until the fall."
"So what you're telling me is that you have parking spaces that you're not making money off of, which I want to pay you money for, but you won't sell it to me." (At this point I waved my credit card around again for good measure.) "YES," she said. ! "Aren't you supposed to want my money?" "Not that much," she answered (and with a straight face, no less). !!
She tried to explain. "This lot follows different rules than the others, because it's a faculty lot." Ok, now I know I've caught her. The map she'd shown me a few minutes before showed (in careful green marking) that this is a student lot. She responded - "The reason that the map shows it as a student lot is because that map is old and hasn't been updated... That lot has never been a student lot." !!!
So 20 minutes and $162 later, I have my parking pass - on the side of Lincoln Ave - I get to walk every day through an empty parking lot to reach the hospital. I swear that as I left the building, I noticed a giant glowing red eye hovering over the top of it.
-Tamara
p.s. I wanted to give you a link to the campus parking map (which even online has F27 marked carefully in green) - but it crashed my browser. Twice.
posted by Anonymous | 7:39 PM
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