By: Emily Lingenfelter ~Staff Writer~

The Xavier Television Center and the Parking Committee continually lock horns about the limited space around Brockman Circle. The organizations are divided by the Center’s need for an equipment loading dock and the Committee’s desire for general public safety.

According to Denita Singel, manager of Support Services, Audit and Risk Management at the Xavier University Police Department (XUPD), the two primary concerns for safety are the heavy pedestrian activity and emergency lane access in the residential area.

“I have been here for 25 years, and there have been medical emergency incidences where a seven-foot fire truck could not get into the narrow circle,” Singel said. “It is very frustrating when everything is held back by one unattended car.”

From another perspective, students and faculty of the Television Center often film offsite projects, so they frequently transport large amounts of equipment in the same space.

When transportation became an issue for the Television Center in the past, the parking committee addressed it by placing two parking spots behind Brockman Hall.

Nick Larry, a senior Digital Innovation Film and Television (DIFT) major and teaching assistant, said they are grateful for this addition, but its location poses another challenge in the studio.

“This is the key part to our problem — they are down two flights of stairs,” Larry said. “We use gear that requires four to five trips per video shoot. Yes, it would be an inconvenience to walk further, but some of the equipment – like our Arri light kit – can weigh up to 100 pounds. This, in itself, becomes a safety concern and a huge cost for damage.”

In addition, other vehicles sometimes occupy the designated parking spaces. With such obstacles, the students and faculty utilize the Brockman Circle as an unofficial loading zone.

“We never really had an agreement with the police to park there, but it didn’t seem to be an issue until recently,” Corey Reisch, a junior DIFT major, said. “Approximately two weeks ago, we started getting very expensive tickets.”

The XUPD and the Parking Committee commented that no changes were made to the system, but parking tickets have significantly increased across the campus in comparison to previous years.

“Most of our community abides by the parking rules, but a few offenders have multiple violations, and this holds true in this case, too,” Joseph Milek, director of Public Safety and Chief of Police, said. “I believe we should all be held to the same standard.”

Milek added that the XUPD and the Parking Committee are always available for assistance and welcome suggestions or repeal requests.