Student Government Association members proposed last month to switch Biddle’s faculty parking spaces to residential spaces, shifting faculty parking to where students currently park for classes.

Finance and Administration Vice President Amy Buxbaum voiced her concerns last Tuesday about the proposed exchange at an association’s meeting.

Buxbaum said she could not give her approval to the proposed exchange because of complications that might violate the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

“I also wanted to make sure that I understood the specifics of the proposal.”

Buxbaum said she spotted problems with the residential parking that would have been placed in the same areas as federally required handicapped spaces and pathways.

Buxbaum said the swap also posed problems during snow removal.

“The academic lots, which include the (handicap parking spaces,) are plowed in the morning when the lots are empty of cars.”

Buxbaum said residential spaces require overnight access, allowing students to park their cars or leave them as they please.

She said she addressed similar problems in the Nursing Health and Sciences parking lot last winter.

“The student spaces prevented snow removal, and we had to restrict overnight parking in the lot for that reason.”

Student Senator Kyle Schwemm said the proposal had some senators who felt compelled to act upon it.

“Personally, the issue was a major concern since I’ve lived in Willow Hall for the past two years. The (association) members who live in Willow were especially behind the idea.

“The issue was not as major to (the association) as a whole, but received great backup from everyone.”

Schwemm said the association needs to modify their proposal, taking Buxbaum’s concerns into consideration.

“The proposal was not necessarily written for immediate results. We saw an opportunity to help future students and Willow residents and want to do anything we can to benefit them.”

Schwemm agreed that Buxbaum’s concerns are valid and need to be taken seriously in the redrafting of the proposal, but he is optimistic the revision will circumvent the proposal’s current flaws.

Schwemm said he had already thought of a possible solution.

“Since the parking lot is symmetrical down the middle, if the spots moved along with the teacher’s spots, the obstacles could be moved.”

Schwemm said he did not know whether moving the specified locations would require additional paperwork or fees.

“I’m not exactly sure of the process to make that happen.”

Schwemm said there are three places Willow residents park their cars.

“Currently the areas to park for Willow students are the students side of the Biddle lot, which is almost always full, the parking strips along Highfield Avenue and of course the Sports Center parking lot.”

Some students seem to find the current parking inconvenient.

Schwemm said the association will continue its efforts to provide a better parking situation for Willow residents.