Members of Faculty Senate expressed concerns over parking fee increases and potential advising policy changes at their bi-weekly meeting Thursday night.

A member calling in from another campus relayed constituent concerns over parking fees increasing by 2.8 percent while faculty raises increased by less than 2 percent.

Another faculty member called the fee “outrageous,” considering Pullman is not a big city.

Faculty Senate Chair Judi McDonald told members that parking fees are part of a budget independent of university funds, and are used for parking lot maintenance.

The group had no specific proposal for a solution, but a few members said they have not been satisfied with previous responses they have received when expressing concerns about parking in the past.

Sara Ackerson, an academic and student success adviser in the Carson College of Business, and Samantha Gizerian, associate director for undergraduate studies in the Department of Integrative Physiology, presented a potential new advising program to the Senate.

The program aims to make sure students have access to advisers when they need help, to foster more productive advising appointments, to support students and their personal development and to build higher-level skills. The program is not happening on other WSU campuses yet.

“Students are responsible for their own education,” Gizerian said.

Tammy Crawford, a senator from the College of Education, said her constituents worry that the period during which students are not required to meet with their advisers is a crucial time for them to receive advising. She said it would be hard to retain students and keep them successful if they do not see their advisers enough.

Greg Crouch, a senator from the Department of Chemistry, brought up concerns of the pilot program moving too quickly to become the official advising model before testing the training materials ASWSU is working to create for students.

Gizerian said they are looking to work with the provost to stretch the timeline for the program. McDonald said she would bring concerns to the provost.