After years of griping about the parking situation, SMU isfinally implementing some changes to make students safer, happierand a little quieter.

By no means will all of the parking challenges be solved, but EdBoard is happy to see that the ball is finally rolling, even thoughit isn’t a wrecking ball at Letterman Hall.

There are many changes that will have a positive impact from thestart.

Finally, first-year males will have some choice in where theycan park. Although this does not open up a lot of spots, it mayimprove self-esteem for first-year males who feel more mature asthey are entrusted with more decisions. They may no longer feellike outcasts who have to bare the underprivileged weight of thefirst-year male.

In addition, the “Lot Full” sign at Moody Garagewill save time for students who would otherwise make it all the wayto the top level before realizing there isn’t parking. Thisshould be just enough to offset the amount of time wasted as 65drivers wait to swipe their card to get in the garage ten minutesbefore class.

As an added safety measure, there are now more cameras in thegarages that will be constantly recording.

Police will be able to review these tapes in the event of anincident in a parking area. Although it will be effective incatching the perpetrators of crimes, Ed Board would like to see amore proactive approach to student safety. It is nice to know theymay be able to catch the guy who took your stereo from the video,but nothing beats the guy not taking your stereo.

The parking situation will not be perfect and might not runcompletely smooth, but the changes show that SMU is working to makeparking more accommodating to everyone on campus.

But, after all the time spent reconfiguring the parkingsituation, it is surprising they never took our suggestion to hirevalets.

The changes this year have the potential to lead to new gripes,but for now Ed Board feels a little safer and happier (although wewill never be quiet.)

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