ALEXANDRA BODE
STAFF REPORTER
The 2013-2014 school year marks the second school year that Butler’s Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter is no longer active.
The former TKE house is located between Phi Delta Theta and Alpha Chi Omega.
Behind it is a lot with approximately 50 parking spots.
Lately, many students have noticed how empty this lot is on a daily basis.
“It seems to be a waste of space. Why not use it if it is there?” sophomore Samantha Stang said.
The lot is a ‘C’ lot, which in this case does not mean “commuter.”
The lot behind the TKE house has been switched over to a “contractor” lot and is no longer a Greek and commuter lot as it was last school year.
Contractors include any employees under contract with the university. The largest group of contracted employees includes Aramark workers.
However, the lot remains consistently bare during the majority of each day.
Chief of staff Ben Hunter and assistant police chief Bill Weber said the lot is being put to good use.
“We like the idea of a contractors lot,” Hunter said.
The contractors are required to purchase “contractor” parking passes, which cost $35.
Affiliates of the university, which include contractors that are performing long term work–besides Aramark–must purchase “A” parking.
When asked how many of these permits had been purchased by contractors, Hunter was unable to provide a response.
He did say university administration is looking to have contractors utilize this lot more then they have in the past.
The “contractors lot”, according to Hunter, is designed for the University’s short-term contractors, specifically contractors that do not have large equipment they need to bring to perform their work.
Atherton Marketplace workers Adair Antor and Erron Barbee said they haven’t parked in the former TKE parking lot because they didn’t know they could park there.
“I thought we were supposed to park over by Hinkle,” Barbee said. “I don’t think they said anything about this lot at our parking meeting at the beginning of the year.”
“I’ve seen some guys park there and thought ‘they’re gonna get a ticket’,” Antor said.
When asked why the lot changed over from Greek parking, Hunter said, “We have more “G” parking then we need.”
Emma Salter, a sophomore living in the Alpha Chi Omega house, said she consistently struggles to find parking.
“It’s already too crowded down the back streets by the Greek houses,” Salter said. “When I’m coming down Beta, it has gotten to the point that it is like a one-way street because there are cars parked on both sides. If they eliminate any more “G” parking, where would we go?”
The university has a parking consultant that works to see where there is a heavy flow of parking and where additional parking is needed.
From this, they have determined that the only parking areas that are completely full are the “B” lots.
They said they believe this is because not every student who has a car here on campus has purchased a parking permit.
“History tells us that by December all the students who have cars will have bought permits,” Hunter said. “The way the zones are now is the way they’ll be all semester.”
Butler University does not plan to make any changes to the parking boundaries until the start of second semester.
The parking lot behind TKE will continue to be used as a “contractor” lot.
