The latest flap between Iowa State and students over University Family Housing parking fees has been appropriately settled in favor of students.

The controversy began Feb. 6, when the UFH Council approved the separation of their parking permit fee from their rent. This would allow the Department of Public Safety to directly collect fees used for the upkeep and patrol of UFH lots, which eliminates hassle and paperwork on the part of the Department of Residence and simply makes more sense.

However, Iowa State did not immediately inform students of the change. Perhaps they assumed since the UFH council approved it, the rest of the students living in UFH would automatically find out about it and support the 26 percent rate increase in the second car parking fee the council also approved at the meeting.

When it came time for students to sign their leases in March, they hadn’t received official notice of the fee changes. Many students did not read their leases closely because they trusted the university to tell them of important changes in their lease — they wouldn’t have noticed anything beside their yearly increase in rent.

While it is a big mistake to not carefully read over legal contracts, it is an even bigger mistake to take student’s understanding of issues for granted. If ISU officials want to communicate changes to students clearly and effectively, they must use every channel open to them in a timely fashion.

Sending out the first letters notifying students of the parking fee changes in mid-May, three months after the changes were approved and two months after they signed their leases, wasn’t timely in the least.

Once students received the letters, mass pandemonium ensued. Students thought they were being unfairly charged for parking in their own lots, in front of their own houses. They didn’t realize rates had gone up or that the fee had been separated from their rent, which was supposed to reduce their rent payment.

However, at a July 24 meeting between DOR and DPS officials and students, it was pointed out by students that the old first car parking fee had been left in the rent. If the process to remove the fee has been in the works since October 2002, they should have realized by now it hadn’t been taken out yet, no matter how small of an amount it was.

It’s disappointing students had to figure that out themselves.

It was decided at this meeting that the students will not be required to pay the separate parking permit fee to DPS for the 2003—04 school year, keeping the old permit fee in their rent.

This solution is satisfactory to all parties involved, and is the only fair one to students.

Hopefully, through this very preventable situation, the university has learned the need to communicate more effectively and promptly with students.

Editorial Board: Nicole Paseka, Amy Schierbrock, Alicia Ebaugh, Ayrel Clark, Lucas Grundmeier