This past week, University Park made efforts toward comprehensive parking reforms in its area. As I considered the changes, I quickly noticed that all of the restricted parking areas were directly surrounding our university.
As a resident of one of those newly restricted areas, I was surprised to learn about the changes to my neighborhood. Countless SMU students living in the streets around our university probably experienced the same surprise.
My stupefied reaction does not come from my disagreement with the policy, rather because I had no idea that this policy was even being considered. I learned of changes that would be put into effect in my own neighborhood from the student newspaper. University Park did not inform me; no representative on the city council asked my opinion on the issue.
In the moment that I was met with this surprise, I was also met with a realization. As an SMU student, I am unconditionally subject to the rules of University Park. The community of University Park rightfully imposes its regulations, stipulations, ordinances and demands on me and every other SMU student.
Certainly, accepting governmental rule involves accepting that government’s decrees. This does not make University Park unique from any other community. However, one of the other qualities of democracy is that the government is accountable to the governed.
The exception with University Park, however, is that, as students, we are subject to the laws of the land without being represented. Indeed, we are not permanent residents of University Park, but we are semi-permanent residents.
In our four or more years here, we live in and patronize the community of University Park. We pay the taxes (and parking fines), we give our money to the businesses in the area, and we take up residence here. As semi-permanent residents, we are subject to most of the same rules, but we are not allowed the same privileges.
As residents of University Park, we are not given any form of representation. No one represents us in the city council or at the town hall meetings. Essentially, we are residents without representation.
As University Park makes laws forbidding two or more women to live in the same household, prohibiting parking without a permit in front of our rental houses, and appropriating city funds in its own way; we are left powerless and unrepresented.
University Park is a beautifully safe, ideal (dare I say, utopian) community. It boasts ridiculously low crime rates and an amazingly successful education system. It makes every effort to preserve itself from the “others” that endanger its ideal and to secure the most perfect union.
With the passage of the most recent parking laws, SMU students have become the targeted “other,” the identified “threat.” Once recognized, University Park had no reservation in eradicating this threat. They passed the law and got rid of all of the unwanted cars.
Undoubtedly, University Park is completely within its rights to make such laws. As contributing members of this community, as economic stimuli for the local economy and as tax-paying residents; our rights, our interests and our opinions deserve representation to the University Park community.
Maybe this is in the form of a formal council member to represent SMU, of a SMU student who is appointed to represent the university’s interests, or of an appeal for SMU student opinion.
In any case, we cannot be ignored. The SMU community represents a large, significant part of the University Park municipality. As long as we are subject to the laws of University Park, we deserve formal representation.
We are not mere subjects in this utopian democracy. We are members of this community too.
Drew Konow is a senior religious studies, foreign languages and literatures major. He can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
