Paid Mardi Gras parking benefits Nicholls
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Editorial
Outside of Louisiana, people seem to think Mardi Gras is all about the beads. They will pay outrageous prices and perform demeaning acts for strung-together balls of plastic. Down here, though, we leave all but the fanciest of beads on the ground for the people hoping to ride in one of next year's parades. The result is a wasteland of cheap plastic beads, doubloons, cups and plates.
Throughout Louisiana, you can see random beads on the side of the road weeks after the last parades have passed, but by the time students return from their three-day holiday break, the Nicholls campus is often rid of the festival aftermath.
This is because Nicholls pays its employees to clean up after the people who park on campus for parades that pass along Audubon Drive. These people have been allowed to park on campus for free in previous years, but due to recent budget cuts, the University has decided to charge a parking fee for this year's Mardi Gras festivities in order to offset the expenses of paying employees to clean.
Parade-goers can reserve premium parking spaces for the entire Mardi Gras season at $50 for a car or truck and $200 for a camper. There will also be parade day parking for $10. Visitors will not be allowed to stay on campus while classes are still being held.
We agree with this decision. The University is proud to host parade-goers during our state's unique holiday, but we doubt they're proud to clean up the lazily tossed-aside trash. University officials said the trash has occasionally included human waste, a by-product of people staying on campus overnight in campers. When combined with severe budget cuts, charging to use University parking lots for Mardi Gras is a smart move.
Parking during Mardi Gras is usually a hassle, so it makes sense that convenient parking should come at a price. The fees are minimal in comparison to the mess left after the parades, and Nicholls needs all the support it can get while budget cuts are still being made to higher education.
The Mardi Gras season is supposed to be a carefree time to enjoy life's pleasures in excess before the Lent season. It should not be about excess trash and costs for an already struggling University. If you attend parades on Nicholls campus this year, do your part and dispose of your trash properly.
Throughout Louisiana, you can see random beads on the side of the road weeks after the last parades have passed, but by the time students return from their three-day holiday break, the Nicholls campus is often rid of the festival aftermath.
This is because Nicholls pays its employees to clean up after the people who park on campus for parades that pass along Audubon Drive. These people have been allowed to park on campus for free in previous years, but due to recent budget cuts, the University has decided to charge a parking fee for this year's Mardi Gras festivities in order to offset the expenses of paying employees to clean.
Parade-goers can reserve premium parking spaces for the entire Mardi Gras season at $50 for a car or truck and $200 for a camper. There will also be parade day parking for $10. Visitors will not be allowed to stay on campus while classes are still being held.
We agree with this decision. The University is proud to host parade-goers during our state's unique holiday, but we doubt they're proud to clean up the lazily tossed-aside trash. University officials said the trash has occasionally included human waste, a by-product of people staying on campus overnight in campers. When combined with severe budget cuts, charging to use University parking lots for Mardi Gras is a smart move.
Parking during Mardi Gras is usually a hassle, so it makes sense that convenient parking should come at a price. The fees are minimal in comparison to the mess left after the parades, and Nicholls needs all the support it can get while budget cuts are still being made to higher education.
The Mardi Gras season is supposed to be a carefree time to enjoy life's pleasures in excess before the Lent season. It should not be about excess trash and costs for an already struggling University. If you attend parades on Nicholls campus this year, do your part and dispose of your trash properly.
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