Due to a reporter’s error, a story in the Sept. 18 print edition contained incorrect information about accessibility at Pogue Library. The access door at Pogue Library via Lowry is not locked during business hours and no one has to ring a bell to come through it, said Jeff McLaughlin, Special Collections and Exhibits Director for the University Libraries. 

The parking situation at Murray State continues to see closed off lots and struggles for students and faculty to see classes.

The issue now affects folks with disabilities.

Theatre professor Lissa Graham’s career will be ending due to pain management and the University’s issues with accessibility. Graham said she’s had to cancel classes as accessible parking is scarce.

“I’ve seen the trucks for the (Jackson Hall) construction area use multiple handicapped parking to load and unload,” Graham said. “I’ve been told if they do that to report it, but honestly that doesn’t help in the short term when you are trying to get to work.”

Diane Nititham, a sociology professor, said while the closure of Education Loop parking and the purpose of the pedestrian barriers for construction is necessary, it is hindering the academic ability of Faculty Hall, Fine Arts and Oakley faculty.

She also said such grief has existed before the construction of Jackson Hall.

“The availability of disabled parking was already a problem,” Nititham said. “I know of a few faculty members who have limited mobility that find it even more difficult to enter the buildings they need to. As a disabled person myself, I am also finding it challenging to get to my building, and have to build in time to rest and recover once I get to my office before I have to teach.”

Graham agreed with Nititham’s comment.

“For 30-plus years we have had no disability entrance to Johnson Theatre,” Graham said. “A place where the public gathers and where my office resides. There is no handicapped accessibility to the stage or dressing rooms in Johnson Theatre. There is no easy way to get from stage to the auditorium in Lovett. To go to the auditorium, you have to go outside between Lovett and Faculty Hall. If I were in the auditorium and needed to go onstage I would need to leave the building. In Lowry, you need to go down the ramp on the far left side of the building. Then if you need to go up, you have to travel all the way to the other side of the building to use the elevator.”

Graham said she’s fortunate to be able to retire at the end of the year, but it will cost her final pay raise installment and will lessen her Social Security and retirement benefits.

“Our campus may meet ADA standards, but it is not handicap friendly,” she said.

Kaylea Greene, a freshman pre-vet major, said while she does not require accessible parking, she finds the University only cares about money when those with wheelchairs or medical problems have to park close but can’t.

“Overall I have been starting to feel like they care more about the money they are getting from each student rather than their parking needs,” Greene said. “And they have gotten a lot of money from those who pay $200 when there’s not enough spaces to park. They are overselling parking spots they don’t have.”

Greene said she gives Murray State the benefit of the doubt as colleges have issues with parking. But she also said the logic of zoning the intramural fields as red parking, commuter parking, is strange. She said it should really be yellow, or dorm parking, as the fields are next to Lee Clark for example.

Greene asks why would commuters be parking in a red zone when they have really no reason to be near Lee Clark.

Students are frustrated.

“There have been so many complaints about it and nothing has been done to fix it,” Greene said. “I know that I am not the only student who has had to drive around for about 10 minutes to even find a parking spot. For that matter I am not really paying attention to what zone it’s in because it’s just a parking spot. I jump for joy when I am able to even find a parking spot.”

University’s profit from parking

In an open records request, Murray State provided The Murray State News the revenue from the Parking Office. The request specifically asked for the  total revenue the office has made over the last three years from parking passes and parking tickets.

For parking tickets, the Parking Office has made $864,802.50 from the last three years, according to records. The average is $288,267 per year.

For parking passes, the Parking Office has made $3.63 million from the last three years. The average is $1.21 million per year.