Although a scattering of students filled extra chairs around the room, they sat quietly with unused posters at their side, and the meeting proceeded without disruption.
The meeting's intent was to educate members about the possibility of limiting night parking on campus and included discussion of a survey on night parking availability, said Linda Carl, assistant provost and TPAC chairwoman.
About 20 students, most of whom were members of Student Congress or the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, were present to listen to the proceedings and voice concerns. Last week, more than 50 students attended a TPAC meeting after student government efforts to organize a protest of the potential restrictions on night parking.
Carl made it clear at the meeting that the committee intended not to debate the issue with attending students but only to answer their questions.
Discussion of nighttime parking has arisen recently because of complaints about the lack of on-campus parking in the evening and the need to generate funds needed to satisfy increased costs resulting from the Development Plan, said Derek Poarch, director of the Department of Public Safety.
The committee also discussed which lots might remain open for free night parking, proposed enforcement hours and eligibility for night parking.
Committee members were presented with data gathered by the DPS from a night parking program survey conducted from Nov. 30 to Tuesday, as well as information on how many spaces were vacant during recent night checks of lots. The survey received 9,034 responses, 6,480 of which were from students. The data showed the biggest parking crunch is on North Campus, with 61.7 percent of students reporting it as their nighttime destination.
"There is really a capacity problem on North Campus," said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for auxiliary services.
Earlier this week, student government officials questioned the legitimacy of the survey, saying it did not address issues of safety and need for night parking.
