Feeling that their safety is being compromised, some sorority members met with Ames residents and Ames City Council members to discuss parking regulations on Pearson Avenue and Greeley Street.

Although no conclusion was reached at a Thursday meeting held at Gamma Phi Beta, 318 Pearson Ave., sorority members are still working to find a solution.

The regulation in question affects all sorority members who park their vehicles on Pearson Avenue and Greeley Street. Because of a city ordinance, there is to be no parking on either side of the street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Members of the sororities along Pearson and Greeley must move their vehicles to Country Club Boulevard every night to avoid being ticketed.

The sororities affected by the regulation are: Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Zeta, 2138 Sunset Dr., and Alpha Delta Pi, 2125 Greeley St. Members of Delta Zeta and Gamma Phi Beta attended the meeting.

Lindsey Severson, member of Gamma Phi Beta, coordinated Thursday night’s meeting. She gave a short account of the problems that the women are facing.

“There are a lot of safety issues we’re dealing with right now,” said Severson, sophomore in political science.

Severson said there recently has been a number of incidents when sorority members were followed and harassed by strangers. She also claimed that several women have nearly been struck by motorists because of the dim lighting and sharp corners on Country Club Boulevard.

Other sorority members in attendance, including Gamma Phi Beta member Allison Foss, shared Severson’s concerns.

“I’m scared to death that I’m going to get off work [late] one night, and something will happen to me,” said Foss, junior in family and child services.

Several residents of Pearson Avenue, as well as city council members, also voiced their opinions at the meeting.

Pearson resident Martha Atkins agreed that safety is a primary concern, but she said there were many other options that had not yet been explored.

“Maybe the sororities should try to look for some alternative ways to provide for the girls’ safety,” Atkins said. “[They should] try some private security.”

Other residents and Ames City Council members said they did not like the idea of the streets in front of their houses becoming “parking lots” for the sororities. Some proposed that the women who do not need their cars every day could get a parking space at the Iowa State Center.

Severson explained that the university will not recognize the sororities as being on campus; therefore, sorority members are not allowed to apply for Iowa State Center parking permits.

“Out of the options we’ve looked at, lifting the 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. law seems to be the best,” Severson said.