Frontiers is One!
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Applying Science into Our Daily Lives
How do we apply scientific formulas or theories into our daily lives? According to Associate Professor Dr Hon Wei Min, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UCSI University,
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happenings
Kuala Lumpur International Dragon Boat Festival
By Edrea Sun Since its inception many hundred years ago, the dragon boat race had traditionally drawn huge crowds in the thousands comprising rowers, supporters, foreign tourists, curious onlookers and locals alike. This time around the festival has come early and was held at the Kepong Metropolitan Lake Garden, the first ever water activity held
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Leisure & Lifestyle
Nocturne:Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
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Talk To Us
By Conrad Edmund Bateman Mitch Albom once said that, “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” In conjunction with a yearlong celebration of UCSI University’s Silver Jubilee, the
"Light UP Lives Charity"
Students face higher parking charges
By Koh Jun Lin
The university has implemented a new parking system at its Kuala Lumpur campus, featuring an auto pay system and a higher maximum parking fee whereas the old system was a RM2 flat rate per entry. The new time-based system charges up to RM4, depending on the duration of stay.
Students first got word of the new system via an email from the university’s Communications Department on December 11 last year. In an immediate response, a Facebook group opposing the new system was set up, attracting 849 “Likes” as of February 26. However, the group had no signs of activity since January 18.
On February 14, the new parking system went online.
Checks by UCSI Frontiers reveal that the new system places UCSI University’s parking fees in the middle-range compared to other private institutions of higher learning in the region. Some institutions charge lower, such as Sunway University College at RM2 per entry. Students at Taylor’s University’s Lakeside campus enjoy free parking.
On the other hand, students at International Medical University could face charges up to RM9 after just six hours of parking. Students at Help University College face perhaps the highest parking fees of all — Parking at Wisma Help costs RM3 per hour, with no cap on the maximum charge. (Click here for details)
Parking oh parking...
Student Council Deputy President Joseph Cheong said that the student council received notification of the new system at the same time all other students did. “We have [also] received complaints, and they were all in a furious, angry manner which we, as students understand the frustration,” he added. The student council is still in talks with the university management on the issue.
Despite these complaints, the parking lots remain full. Deputy Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Associate Professor Dr. Lachman Tarachand said, “From our own observations and statistics, we have found that at the moment there is no change in the usage of the parking. People are still coming and parking.”
Dr. Lachman said that the new system is one of many initiatives to improve campus services. The new parking system is supposed to decrease turnaround time by encouraging students who have finished classes to leave immediately. This would in turn give other students the opportunity to park. In addition, he said that the new system had already made traffic flow smoother on campus.
Other improvements already made to the campus’ transport services include and a sheltered pathway leading to a new bus stop at the North Wing, which could now accommodate larger buses. Bus frequency has also been increased since late last year, according to Dr. Lachman, to 15-minute intervals for peak hours and 25-minute intervals for off-peak hours. This is an improvement from 30-minute intervals throughout the day. “We are monitoring the situation. If there is a need, we will operate more busses,” he added.
Mass communications student Shaun Lee was unimpressed. He normally parks his car at Giant Hypermarket nearby, costing RM1 per entry. As far as he is concerned, these improvements miss the point. “The frustration of circling for nearly 15 minutes just to end up with either a secluded or no parking space is a major factor. Also, the hilltop parking site hurt my wheels real bad,” he said.
He blamed gravel from the unpaved hilltop car park for causing his tires to blowout on his way home. He said that the gravel – just slightly larger
Bird's eye view of the gravel parking area
than a 50-cent coin – was lodged into his tire treads and damaged it as he drove home, until it finally punctured.
Soong Lye Ping, who also studies mass communications, agrees with Shaun’s sentiments. She felt that charging for an unpaved and unshaded parking space is unacceptable.
Even before the new system was implemented, both students have shunned on-campus parking. However, they have expressed willingness to pay for on-campus parking once facilities have improved.
These improvements are already underway. According to Dr. Lachman, land clearing is already underway on the hillside to make room for more buildings, including a multi-storey car park. However, he quickly conceded that it would not be enough. “We can foresee that need for the parking, but demand will definitely be more than supply. We are not going to just build parking spaces. In fact, we should be discouraging driving so that we can make a green environment.”
