Students may have to fight for spaces in a lot close to Jack Trice Stadium if a Government of the Student Body proposal to use Lot S-4 for general parking is approved by the university.

It’s a fight students could have avoided if GSB had approved its original proposal.

At its Sept. 10 meeting, GSB passed a resolution recommending to the athletic department and university areas in Lot S-4 be used for general public parking, as a way to move students closer to the stadium and alumni.

The resolution originally called for an alcohol-free, student-only area, but the lot description was changed to general parking in order to balance student demand for alcohol to be present and university concern over condoning dangerous drinking behavior among students.

An exclusive student-only area would need to be supported and officially created by the university, which it cannot do if alcohol is present because of concerns with underage and dangerous drinking behavior, said Thomas Hill, vice president for student affairs. However, the university does not need to give such support for general public parking, because it would be used by the public and not exclusively by students, Hill said.

By changing the lot to public parking, students would have to compete with the public for parking spaces, because general public parking does not have designated spots for certain individuals, said Department of Public Safety Program Manager Douglas Houghton.

Houghton said this lack of designation means parking would be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Vice Speaker of the GSB Senate William Rock said it is likely students would be the first people to show up in the area.

“Students who support the team will be the first ones there, and they’re the people we want there anyway,” Rock said.

The lot is currently controlled by the athletic department and is used to accommodate game day operation staff and overflow handicapped parking, and as reserved spaces for special game day events.

No matter how the lot is used, people will have to be displaced if a decision is made by the university to allow students to park in that space, said Joan Boles, associate athletic director for development for the National Cyclone Club.

Boles said during discussions she had with Athletic Director Bruce Van De Velde, Van De Velde said he would find an alternative for people in the lot in order to make room for students.

However, Hill said doing so raises concerns over whether it’s right for students and the public to have similar spots National Cyclone Club members have, because National Cyclone Club members, unlike the public, contribute to the athletic department outside of just purchasing a ticket.

Hill said although students contribute $21 per semester to the athletic department, the public does not. Because the lot would be general public parking, Hill said he is worried about the fairness in having the public so close when they don’t contribute as much as NCC members.

“The athletic department wants to sell old lots to alumni,” said Nicholas Leitheiser, junior in political science. “It all boils down to money, and the lot they want to give us they don’t use anyway. What this [GSB] bill says is [students] are willing to accept the bread crumbs they’re giving us.”

Students like Leitheiser have said they have been forgotten by the university in major decisions affecting their lives, such as the current tailgating issue.

Dean of Students Pete Englin said he believes it is inaccurate and unfair for students to say they are always forgotten.

“I think students and most people fail to realize that one year ago, Bruce Van De Velde had the athletic department recede donors near Hilton Coliseum to create Cyclone Alley,” Englin said. “Bruce took as much criticism from donors for that decision as he’s getting from students, and he continues to get criticism from donors.”

Englin said there are many issues for the parking decision, and alcohol happens to be a key concern. During the first two games of the football season, 44 students were ticketed in lots G-2 and G-3 for alcohol-related offenses, he said. Because of those offenses, students having to those pay fines will end up paying a total of about $6,400, he said.

“I don’t support the general public parking lot next to the stadium, because I personally don’t want to give the impression of condoning that type of behavior next to the stadium,” Englin said. “We need to provide a safer environment for students, which I thought was going to be done through an alcohol-free, student area.”

Hill also raised concerns over safety, but in the form of homeland security. The athletic department can account for people parked in NCC lots, but cannot account for people in general public parking. This is because there are no assigned spaces for particular persons, which creates a problem with accountability, he said.

Hill said the university will examine GSB’s finalized resolution, but no timeline has been set for a decision.