New Parking Lots at UT Tyler II

In a previous blog I posted about a new parking lot being built adjacent to the Cowan Center. Over the past two semesters, the Cowan Point parking area has been used as a temporary parking lot but a new parking lot is now being built to help alleviate parking issues brought on by a recent influx of students. This new lot will have a total of 120 parking spots. However, this is just a small step towards helping ease the parking strain at UT Tyler. The administration has been working diligently towards finding solutions for the expected student population growth. As well as a new parking lot the university is re-striping the angled parking back to their original positions gaining about 250 spots. There are also some other parking changes everyone should be aware of for the upcoming Fall Semester.

Cowan Point June 6th

Cowan Point July 10th

A temporary lot with 60 spots is being set up near the tennis courts, and when lots are full the campus police will post signs indicating such. The price for a parking permit will remain at $48 for the upcoming academic year. However, you will only be allowed one parking permit per student. If you have to drive an alternate vehicle for a short period of time you can now request temporary parking tags online from the Campus Police Department. 

Due to the high demand and limited use of them, there will no longer be reserved spaces. Although very convenient for some, the individual reserved spots were not an efficient use of space. When not used, a reserved spot sat vacant and faculty/staff who could have parked in those spots had to seek out a vacant spot in a student parking area. When all campus spots are full the city of Tyler is covering up the "no-parking signs" along Varsity Drive during the first two weeks of classes to help with overflow. 

In the future, the campus hopes to work with the local government into converting Varsity Drive into a one-way street flowing South away from Old Omen. After this, the city will put angled parking along the UT Tyler side of Varsity. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited about all the changes being done to help alleviate the parking strain at UT Tyler.

New Parking Lots at UT Tyler

Over the last two semesters The University of Texas at Tyler had an influx in new students causing a strain on the parking around the campus. A temporary parking lot was set up for vehicles to park on the grass and it worked for all intents and purposes. However, on my way to work last week I noticed the temporary parking lot had been dug up and will soon be a new permanent parking lot for students.

I took a couple of pictures so everyone can see proof of the construction. The University has been aware of the parking situation and was unable to build new parking lots during the regular semesters since it would have caused even more problems. The new parking lot adjacent to the Cowan Center will greatly relieve the parking problem at the University.

It is unknown at this time how many spots are being put in but students and faculty alike will be notified via email as soon as that information becomes available. The administration has made this a priority and is addressing the parking situation to the best of their ability.

Parking Update

As of this semester there are nearly 6,900 students currently enrolled at UT Tyler. Because of this the University as Dr. Mabry put it is undergoing growing pains with parking issues being one of them. Lots # 6, 9, & 15 have been restriped to gain an additional 140 parking spaces. There have also been temporary parking lots set up near the soccer field and one near the Cowan center holding a 80 spots each. Also a temporary parking area on campus drive has been set up which will provide an additional 20-30 spaces.

Also, a free shuttle has been set up for students to Park at Rose Heights Church (2120 Old Omen Road) and be dropped off in front of the RBN in parking lot 8. The shuttle will run daily from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. making runs every 20 minutes and will continue to do so day until the last class day of September. 

Updates on Parking Issue

 As many of you guys are aware, the parking at UT Tyler has been an issue. Students are having to be A LOT more creative at finding parking spots and where they park. If you haven't read the e-mail from President Mabry about the parking.. well you should! It was sent through patriots emails last week! 

The Administration wanted all students to know that there is going to be some construction going on in some of the parking lots this week! Do not get frustrated if these lots are closed for evening classes. UT Tyler is doing this as a response to the parking concerns at the start of the semester. So be patient while they fix the problem! 

from: uttyler.edu 

• Lot 6 (by the Cowan and Nursing Building) will be closed starting Tuesday, September 4th, after 5 pm. Re-striping will begin at 7pm.
• Lot 15 (by HPC, O Hall, Powerplant, and Physical and Health Building) will be closed Wednesday, September 5th, after 5 pm. Re-striping will begin at 7 pm. 
• Lot 9 (by U-Pines and the business building) will be closed Thursday, September 6th after 5 pm.   Re-striping will begin at 7 pm. 

Are You Ready For This Semester?

Today is the last day of July which means in 20 days the 2012 Fall semester will begin at UT Tyler. You've probably been lounging about for the past 2 months (except for those taking summer courses) and have even forgotten what you signed up for. Well, here's a short check list to help you prepare for the coming semester.

Have you paid your tuition and/or other bills that may put holds on your account?

Be sure and check your myuttyler account prior to the start of classes to make sure you have no fees or fines that may impede you in any way. You can also pay any outstanding bills via the cashier's office.

Do you have all your school supplies in order?

Be sure to bring at least a pen/pencil and a few sheets of loose leaf paper as some of your professors may want you to take notes on the very first day. HOWEVER, it is best to wait until after your first class to get any books for your classes. Some of your professors will not make them required or will base the entire class off their lectures alone. The syllabus may say the book is part of the class but the professor may say something different.

Is your home clean?

Before any semester begins I like to thoroughly clean my entire apartment to make at least the first week or so of classes stress free. However, this will change as the semester goes on and all my time begins to be engulfed by school work.

Do you have a parking sticker/permit?

Parking stickers can be paid for at the cashier's office and then picked up at the University Police Station with your receipt. For more info you can check out my this post which talks about where to park on campus and this one which explains how to go about getting a parking sticker/permit for this upcoming semester.

With this general outline your preparations for the upcoming semester should be most enjoyable and be completed with the greatest of ease

Life Cheat #84710: water taste a little... not so good? Simply put a slice of cucumber in their to instantly give your water a fresher taste.

Parking For Fall 2012/Spring 2013

The Police Department will begin issuing parking permits for the 2012/13 academic year this Wednesday, August 1. It is very important that all incoming freshman and returning students and faculty alike go about getting one before classes begin on August 20.

The new parking rules and regulations can be seen here under the Parking and Traffic Information tab. However, you can also look at my previous post concerning parking on campus. Remember, you must pay any outstanding parking fines before you will be issued a permit. 

Moving in College- On Campus and Commuters

             So, maybe y'all haven't moved as often as I have (37... going on 38 times), but if you go away to a university- moving is something to expect. I have been lucky enough to meet good roommates in my freshman year living in OHall at The University of Texas at Tyler! We've been living together for two years now, but I'm moving out in the middle of July to save some money- and live with my grandparents...
         

I'm the unicorn, Baylee is next to me, Cass is in front,
and that little devil on the side is our friend Katie.

Now, a college student, living at home. Maybe that will ring some bells for commuters. Yes, a few people in and around Tyler drive here every day they have class!

With my new found commuter status, I'll be able to shed some light on parking,
getting to class on time (when I can't just roll out of bed), and staying involved when
I don't have fun activities right under my nose! 

Where do y'all live?

UT Tyler Summer Checklist

Now that the stress of finals is over and summer is here it’s all too easy to sit back and enjoy the break and forget to prepare for the fall semester. So here’s a quick checklist of things you might want to do before the fall semester starts up.

• Register for classes here. This one seems a little obvious, but there’s always a massively long line in front of the registrar’s office the first week of classes.
• Look up what books you’re going to need and see where you can buy them. The bookstore on campus is always a good place to go, or if you would rather buy them online then Amazon and Chegg are both a good place to look. 
•       Fill out your FAFSA. Remember, you have to fill a new FAFSA every school year.
    ·     Renew your school parking permit. With the school restriping the parking lots on campus, parking will be easier than ever.
     ·   Go ahead and skim through your text books for next semester. Don’t try and understand the material. Just try and get a basic understanding of what concepts the class will be covering. I find this to be very helpful when I’m taking classes that I have no previous background in, like Engineering Fundamentals of Thermodynamics.         

UT Tyler Student Blogger Vlog

This is a short vlog of Patrick's new bike! Staring Patrick, Megan, and Ryan from the Student Blogging Team.

Parking? Where?

Over the course of the semester I've come across several of my friends who have fallen victim to a parking ticket or two... Or three. I never thought much of it until I received one as well. So instead of making too much of a fuss over it.... Well unless you count the profane language I used upon seeing the ticket on my windshield. But I don't see words such as "darn" and phrases like "oh hamburgers" as being that profane. Anyway I went to the cashier's office ticket in hand and paid the $15 ticket with the worst grin since Nixon took office. To some this may not be much but to others this is a serious amount of money. Especially when there is an additional $10 charge if it takes you over 10 business days to pay. So here are a few tips for parking around the campus.

1) If you live within half a mile from the school WALK or RIDE A BIKE!!!!

I know a lot of you (including me) live within walking distance of the campus. So in turn we are not allowed to complain about getting tickets or a lack of parking on campus. I know that there are very few sidewalks in Tyler as no one here believes that one's feet are made for walking and not driving. However, instead risking your life every time you step out onto the edge of the street walk on the grass and through front yards of houses. That way the owners of these houses will get mad at so many people destroying their lawns and vote for sidewalk construction during the next election. (credit given to Megan Allen for the previous sentence)

2) When in doubt try the library or the baseball field
Shut your mouth! There is always parking at the library and the baseball field lots.

3) If you're a student park in a student spot. If you're faculty/staff park in a faculty/staff spot. If you're a visitor park in a visitor spot.

If you're not sure if you are allowed to park in a certain spot or lot don't park there. The University Police recently stopped giving warnings and are now skipping straight to the tickets. Oh and hey students, faculty/staff get tickets for parking in our spots as well so let's not take their spots.

As a commuter school the parking at the University of Texas at Tyler will always be a problem and will just get worse as the campus grows. So remember to keep a cool head, and leave a few minutes earlier so you'll get to where you need to be on campus on time. Here is a link to a campus map so you can easily find the parking lot for you. Also a link to the campus Police Station where you can view all the parking regulations.

And now our musical guest Beck w/ The Flaming Lips

Life Cheat #6803: Never trust someone who begins a statement with "trust me".

The great parking debate

            Now we all know that parking can be somewhat of a pain for any university, and hopefully our dear university will continue to grow, but with that hope comes the downside... where will the influx of students park? Parking right now could be described as tight, at best. I usually park here in our office parking lot then hike down to my classes, so it's not as big of a problem for me, but I know a lot of people are in a huff because it's nearly impossible to find a spot in many lots at certain key times in the day, and with a larger student body that problem will only grow.
           So what do we do? Do we destroy the beautiful environment in order to make way for more parking, is it right to destroy nature simply so a sedan can have a spot? Today I saw a motorcycle taking up an entire parking space, when it only took up 30% of the spot, so what do we do with space wasters? Maybe have designated lots for different vehicle types?
         That won't benefit all the drivers of that kind if they have to hike across the campus because they happen to have a truck. I applaud the school for what they've been able to do so far, but this University will only continue to grow and so will this particular problem. That's one thing about business, you have your business and you want it to be successful, but soon it may start to grow beyond your capacity to manage it, enrollment has been on the rise every semester, and I personally want this University to grow and be mentioned with the names of the other great colleges in Texas. I'm not sure how all that translates into parking but it's worth thinking about.

Update: They painted better spaces. :)