Chhadva not first student body president to speak up for students

After reading the ridiculous editorial about Bijal Chhadva’s comments at the Board of Trustees meeting, I am left wondering if the editorial board of The Oracle has been asleep for the past four years or if they just prefer to ignore facts.

Rightly, if Chhadva has received student complaints regarding administration accessibility, he should present those concerns at the BOT meeting. To single out that action as commendable while inferring that this is a major change from the past is simply ignorant. If The Oracle staff had a history of trying to report fairly on the activities of Student Government instead of always trying to tear it and the administration down, such an assertion might be excusable.

For transparency, I should note that I was a part of former Student Body President Mike Griffin’s first cabinet in SG and he remains a good friend today. Notwithstanding, obtainable records can show that Griffin stood as the lone dissenter many times on BOT issues that impacted students. Notably, for example, he never voted in favor of a tuition increase in his two years on the BOT, which is more than I can say for his follower Omar Khan. Saying that Griffin’s record in particular demonstrated a carte blanche attitude toward the administration is simply untrue.

Also, I find the comments about President Genshaft’s accessibility to students insulting. Like many others, I can list many examples of she and other administrators making themselves available at times when there were no cameras around nor any special events being attended. My most strident refutation of this claim is Genshaft’s attendance last fall at the 2-hour memorial service for former USF student Shannon Mohammed. In the wake of the tragedy of his death, she did not have any obligation to attend, but she came anyway, spoke publicly at the service, and stayed until the very end. Though it seems The Oracle would likely characterize her actions as “forced and phony” I believe all in attendance that night would disagree.

Shame on The Oracle for being so sloppy and biased.

Daniel Ginn is a graduate student in public health and a former SG senator.

Parking much worse in St. Pete than on Tampa campus

If you think parking is bad at the Tampa campus, try going to the St. Petersburg campus. I’ve been a USF student for about four years now, taking day and evening classes, and have had maybe three instances where I circled a parking lot to find a space. Usually, I can count on the Sun Dome parking lot to be open. I might have to take a 10-minute walk, but, hey, at least I’m in a parking lot and I get some exercise.

I went to the St. Petersburg campus last night and circled around the blocks several times until I found a place to park. It was on a side street, not in a USF parking lot. Sure, there were parking lots around — two marina lots with “Tow Away Zone” signs and a USF employee lot that probably had at least 50 spaces and maybe only 10 filled. The only USF student parking lot I did see was about a mile away and it was pretty much centralized to the other USF buildings. Those lots were full and many students were parked on side streets. I was going to the College of Business. I didn’t see any signs near this building directing students to any parking lots.

If USF is requiring students to purchase parking permits then they should make sure there are parking lots to facilitate students. Paying $120 for a permit to park free in the street will not make a happy student!

Mitzi Pick is a senior majoring in accounting.