Student Leaders Encourage Reorganization of TPAC

Student body president Justin Young, Student Body Vice President Rudy Kleysteuber and Emily Williamson, the graduate student representative on TPAC, met with Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor for finance and administration, whose office oversees TPAC.

Kleysteuber said he and Young requested equal representation for students, faculty and staff on the committee, expressing concern that TPAC now is dominated by faculty.

But Williamson said her main focus is making the committee more efficient, probably by reducing its size and giving members longer terms to better understand the issues.

Kleysteuber said Tuesday that he was disappointed with Suttenfield's response to the students' request. He said Suttenfield indicated in the meeting that students do not deserve equal voice on the committee or equal input in parking-related issues.

But Williamson said Suttenfield understands the problems associated with TPAC. "She agreed the committee needs restructuring."

Suttenfield could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Kleysteuber said student leaders have been requesting a restructuring of TPAC since the start of the fall semester. He said that before this academic year, TPAC had representation that mirrored the breakdown of the campus community's demographics.

Before this year, though, faculty from many professional schools petitioned for and were granted membership on TPAC, skewing the committee's representation toward the faculty, Kleysteuber said.

He said many TPAC members became disillusioned with this year's committee after last week's meeting, where Chairman Bob Knight announced five budgetary directives for the committee that he claimed came from Chancellor James Moeser, including the institution of some form of a night parking permit system.

Knight later admitted he misrepresented Moeser's involvement and that he had come up with the directives himself.

TPAC is set to vote again today on the budgetary recommendations considered at last week's meeting, which was scheduled to be the last of the year.

Kleysteuber said Knight's actions prove that TPAC's chairman should not come from South Building because the committee is supposed to give unbiased recommendations to the administration about parking and transportation issues. "An advising committee should never be run by a person who is receiving the advice," he said.

Like Kleysteuber, Young said he is troubled that administrators run the committee. Young said Knight's leadership will have large consequences on TPAC's efficiency. "We were making a lot of progress, and for him to disrupt that was deplorable."

But Kleysteuber said student government leaders have shifted much of their focus to next year's TPAC organization, saying its problems go beyond the difficulties associated with Knight's actions.

Despite his frustration with student leaders' meeting with Suttenfield, Young said he is optimistic that TPAC's structure will be reconsidered before next year.

Kleysteuber said leaders will continue to fight to change TPAC's makeup in order to make sure pertinent issues are handled properly. "We feel very strongly about issues concerning parking," he said. "We'll do whatever it takes to make sure next year's process runs better."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.