Coalescing to find a solution for parking

At Issue: Parking has been a problem at EC for some time, resulting in students parking in local neighborhoods.

After almost 57 years of existence, EC has grown to envelop the residential area that surrounds it, creating a parking problem that was not taken into consideration when the college was originally established.

Students and neighborhood residents must work together to find a solution to the increasing parking problem that looms every semester.

The city has attempted, but failed, to lessen the problem by issuing parking permits to residents, which limits student

parking in those residential areas.

One approach that can be taken to resolve this predicament is to allow students to park in the restricted neighborhood streets. However, a time frame from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. would be enforced in order to limit student parking.

This would provide more student parking while diminishing the nuisance for residents, when most will presumably be at their jobs.

Given the fact that relocation for either party is not a solution, students and neighbors must work together to accommodate student needs while respecting the privacy of the local residents.

Allowing students to park in the neighborhood streets during certain hours would not only alleviate the student parking problem, but would also clear street parking for neighbors when they need it the most.

ASO strives to alter current student hour

At Issue: EC’s student government is attempting to change the time and length of the current student hour.

Most colleges prefer to have students who do not only go to class and work hard for their good grades; they prefer students who have participated in extra-curricular activities, too. That is, to join one or more of the clubs on campus.

There used to be an hour every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon where no classes were scheduled, which allowed students time to attend club meetings or to participate in club activities.

It was later changed to 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., but now the hour has been adjusted to noon to 1 p.m. However, one hour is not sufficient for most club activities.

A lot of classes overlap with the student hour designated for club activities, making it harder for students to participate in clubs.

It is a good thing that the Associated Student Organization (ASO) is trying to change the student hour to begin at 1 p.m., as well as to add an additional 30 minutes, which would ensure no classes would overlap with the student hour again.

Students will get to join any club they want without worrying about class attendance, while they get to do something which helps them when applying to or transferring to a university.

Students need the time to gain experience in different aspects clubs have to offer and to learn from outside the books. It is also a good way to learn to communicate with people outside of a classroom.