The Jan. 26 print edition of JTAC News featured a center spread story about Tarleton State University’s plans to construct two new residence halls on campus by fall 2016. Dr. Mike Leese, Executive Director of Student Life Development, explained these plans in an exclusive interview.

The response from the Tarleton student body regarding these plans has been extremely negative, to say the least. Since going live on JTACNews.com, the story has been shared 80 times on Facebook, viewed nearly 4000 times online, and JTAC News has received numerous comments and messages from students sharing their opinions.

“Until we can sort through the parking issue… there should be no expansion whatsoever,” said Matt Hughes in a message to JTAC News. “Face the problem at hand before attempting to move forward, period.”

“I understand Tarleton’s desire to grow, I really do,” said Brittany Stewart. “I understand that to those who do the planning, expansion seems like a great idea. I would, too, if I had a reserved parking spot. The problem is, all the of the current students are beginning to feel as though the small, comfortable campus that we all chose has started caring more about money than us. It is ridiculous to pass out parking tickets like they’re candy, when students genuinely have run out of places to park. Whether they choose to stop allowing freshmen to bring their cars or they just quit expanding, it doesn’t matter to us. Point is something needs to be done.”

Considering the overwhelming response to our initial story, JTAC News compiled a list of concerns most frequently mentioned by students and gave Leese an opportunity to respond.

JTAC News (JTAC):  Many students seem to feel that they are not being listened to – that their complaints and calls for change are overlooked in favor of the university moving ahead with its own plans. For example, in a recent student poll on our website, we found that 82% of students do not agree that new residence halls should be constructed, and in another poll from fall 2014, 75.9% of students believed that resolving parking issues should be Tarleton’s top priority in 2015. How do you respond to that?

Mike Leese (ML): Tarleton is focused on student success and that means increasing both the retention and graduation rates.  Both the two-year housing requirement and the residential Living-Learning programs, especially in Heritage Hall and in future residence halls, support that goal.  It’s not enough for students to attend Tarleton—we want our students to graduate and enter their chosen career paths or graduate school. University leadership works closely with the Student Government Association (SGA), including regular meetings with the student body president and vice president and executive committee.  I serve as advisor to SGA and meet weekly with the student body president and vice president, usually attend their executive meetings and attend meetings of the Senate or House weekly.  All students should feel free to voice their concerns through their respective senators or house members. More than 800 students are currently living in leased housing off-campus, thus the reason for all of the new housing construction.  New residence halls will end this practice and is consistent with the university’s master plan.  Students tell us that they would rather live in newer facilities with improved amenities and these are the first to fill during housing sign-ups.

JTAC: Many students have complained that on-campus students are allowed to park in commuter spots, but commuters cannot park in red zones. Would it be possible for a new rule to be implemented that reserved purple zones for commuters only?

ML: The Parking Advisory Committee is currently studying this issue and will have a recommendation before April 1st.

JTAC: How do you respond to students who mentioned that they feel as though Tarleton places much more emphasis on recruiting and “wow-ing” new students and overlooks the needs of upperclassmen?

ML: Tarleton’s focus is on recruiting and retaining students. New initiatives for retention include Transition Week, the development of Living/Learning Communities, the Intern-to-Learn program and the Sophomore Conference.  If upperclass [sic] students have specific concerns, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with them, as would members of the Cabinet, and their representatives in the Student Government Association.

JTAC: How, specifically, has Tarleton raised its admission standards in recent years to accommodate the influx of new applications?

ML: Major changes began in 2013, when Tarleton started requiring that students be in the top two-thirds of their high school graduating class.  In 2014, students were required to be in the top 60 percent, and for 2015 that has changed to the top 50 percent, although we have lowered the SAT/ACT minimum scores.  The standards are continuing to be reviewed.

JTAC: The idea of a parking garage was tossed around a couple of years ago. What happened there?

ML: The idea for one or more parking garages on campus has been explored thoroughly.  In the final analysis, such structures are too expensive.  While a surface parking space cost approximately $1,500 to build, a space in a parking garage runs about $18,000, more than 10 times as much.  The parking fee to park in a garage would have to be $600 or more per user per year, which would be a reckless and irresponsible action for the university to take.

JTAC: Another complaint students had is that the shuttle system does not run on a pre-set schedule. Some students claimed they have waited over an hour for a shuttle to arrive to take them to their vehicles. Could a schedule system be implemented so that use of the shuttles becomes easier and more reliable?

ML: The Parking Advisory Committee is looking at ways to improve the shuttle system, and the University Police Department is working with the transportation company to implement improvements for this fall.

JTAC: A few students suggested the idea that freshmen be required to leave their vehicles in the off-campus parking lot, and utilize the shuttle system to get to them. Others simply suggested that freshmen should be banned from bringing cars at all, unless they provided proof of an off-campus job, for which a special parking permit could be issued. What are your thoughts on that as a possible solution to parking trouble?

ML: The Parking Advisory Committee (PAC) is examining a number of possibilities for residential parking.  As already mentioned, the PAC is considering no longer allowing residential permit holders to park in commuter zones.  The Student Government Association considered the issue of banning cars for freshmen, and then dropped the idea, after admitting that many of them would not have come to Tarleton if they were told they could not have a vehicle their freshmen year.  As Tarleton changes and grows, we will continue to examine what we do and what other universities, including large ones, are doing in our attempts to implement best practices.  A recent study completed for Tarleton showed that compared to most other universities, the number of parking spaces at Tarleton is quite good.  We added 700 parking spaces for this year and some lots have a very high vacancy rate.  More parking is planned for this fall.

JTAC: One student said that Tarleton should “fix the problem at hand” BEFORE continuing on a plan to build and beautify. Yet, many students feel the opposite is happening – that Tarleton continues to build without regard for how it affects current students. Do you feel that Tarleton’s reach may be exceeding its grasp?

ML: We are building for current students, as noted earlier, so that the number of students who are now forced to live in off-campus housing leased by Tarleton will be able to live on campus.  Improvements that benefit current students include the renovation of the Dick Smith Library with the new Learning Commons, the Texan Services one-stop-shop in the Tarleton Center, the O.A. Grant Humanities addition with its state-of-the-art facilities and technology, and the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center renovations.  The university has to consider multiple issues, looking at both the current situation and long-term impacts.  Parking is one of those issues, but many other factors affect decisions as well.

JTAC: Some students expressed the concern that the small, welcoming campus they joined a few years ago has “started caring more about money than [the students].” What do you say to those students who feel that Tarleton is losing its identity as an accessible, affordable, small-town university?

ML: Tarleton’s leadership, as well as its faculty and staff, share student concerns that we maintain the small, welcoming campus that we all care about.  Measures have been taken to slow growth, and just as importantly to improve Tarleton’s retention and graduation rate, thus the rise in admission standards. On a personal note, my own Tarleton history goes back to entering Tarleton as a freshmen in 1963, and I can assure anyone and everyone that Tarleton is a much better university in 2015 than is was at its beginning as a senior college. Tarleton was student-focused way back then, but it is even more so now with its commitment to become the premier student-focused university in Texas and beyond.

JTAC: Students frequently complained that parking tickets are “handed out like candy” to students who simply had nowhere else to park before class. Do you feel that students should be subjected to paying tickets, considering they have already paid a $75 parking fee for a sticker that, often, they rarely get to utilize because there is no purple zone parking available?   

ML: If the university parking system is to work for all, regulations must be enforced.  Tarleton is committed to providing a new parking space for every space this is eliminated by changes, whether for new construction or other reasons.  The Parking Advisory Committee is looking at all parking operations and will make recommendations on issues from the location of various parking zones to parking fees and tickets.  The intent of the Parking Advisory Committee is to significantly improve the university’s parking issues and allow for an orderly realization of the campus master plan through the construction of needed facilities.

JTAC News will continue to report on Tarleton’s development plans as further information becomes available.