FSI: Giving Us All the Boot

[First of all, thank you to wonderful Connie at Whale Ears and Other Wonderings for hosting last week's beautiful artsy-craftsy RoundUp!  Next week's RoundUp will be hosted by Stephanie at the blog Where in the World Am I?  The theme is bathrooms overseas.]

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Something happened last week at FSI that really, really upset me, because I think it was wrong and mean.  So, of course, I'm going to blog about it, because that's what I do.


One day last week during our lunch break, I was pulling our car out of a parking space in the main parking lot of FSI when I noticed activity going on around the outskirts of the lot.  As I began to drive out of the lot to go home, I came across a (maintenance?) man who had a golf cart out, and he was standing near some cars that were parallel parked around the outskirts of the main parking lot.


Now, lately, our teachers have been making HUGE big deals about it if students are even one minute late to class (really).  In addition to that, the FSI overflow parking lots (which we've never had to use, mercifully, for as I understand it, they are about seven million miles away from FSI) have been full (and therefore closed), and the main FSI parking lot is also always full.  What ends up happening is that people who have already paid for parking at FSI are forced to parallel park around the periphery of the FSI main parking lot.


I see no problem with this, as:


1.) They have already paid for a parking spot, but


2.) There are no other parking spots to be had (either in the main or in the overflow lots)


3.)  Parallel parking around the periphery doesn't impede the FSI parking lot traffic flow in the slightest, and


4.)  Teachers are about ready to kill you if you show up late.


I mean, really - what else are people supposed to do?


Anyway, back to my story.


So as I drove past this (maintenance?) man in the parking lot, I realized what he was doing.  He was:






Booting employee's cars.


People who had already PAID for parking and who literally had nowhere else to park were being booted because they had been forced to parallel park around the periphery of the lot.

When I realized what he was doing, my mouth fell open, because I honestly had never dreamed that FSI would be this mean.  When he saw me sitting there in my car, watching him with my mouth hanging open, he began yelling at me (always the wrong choice) and demanding that I LEAVE.  If I'd had my camera, I would have grabbed it, gotten out of my car, and started taking pictures, because I'm rebellious and also because I don't just walk away from situations that I find to be unfair (the above picture is from the internet).  But I didn't have my camera and I had to get home, so I left. 

But I can still blog about it.

Before I left, I verified three things.  Number one, each and every car getting booted had an FSI parking hangtag (showing that they had paid for parking) on their rearview mirrors.  Also, I verified that the overflow parking lot was closed and that the main lot was full.  I verified that there was literally NO WHERE ELSE for these poor people to park, yet FSI had (a maintenance guy?) boot them. 


Really, FSI?  REALLY?  Have you sunk so low?  And really, maintenace guy?  REALLY?  You think that yelling at me is going to keep people from finding out what's going on?  Yell at me all you want, the whole situation reeks.  And even though *my* car didn't get booted, I feel sorry for those whose cars did.  They deserve to be helped, not punished because YOU don't have spots for them.  It's YOUR parking problem, not theirs.  They can't help that their job is at FSI and you have no spaces in which they can park. 


Shame on you.

Comments

[Sara Roy]

I have a feeling you're not going to be fond of FSI when you leave (or maybe you're already not fond of FSI).

[A Daring Adventure]

Sara,

I'm quite fond of what they do well. I have blogged many times about how amazing my teachers are, how well the Chinese program is managed, and how excellent the program materials are. I have also blogged about how brilliant some of our classmates are, and how grateful I am to be able to be in the program alongside of James.

I am not fond of what they do not do well. In this, I feel that I am very honest and balaced.

[Emily]

I fully agree with your perspective. I understand booting cars that are illegally parked in handicapped spaces, or egregiously double-parked by the pedestrian gates. But for those poor souls who have PAID for parking and show up to find NO spaces... and who chose the best compromise by parallel parking on the lot periphery... FSI has failed to hold up its side of the parking "contract," if not legally at least morally.

[Mom]

So what have we learned from the "boot" incident?

1. Kolbi should always have her camera with her.

2. A man doing his job responsibly should not mind anyone watching or photographing him. Methinks there is something rotten going on here.

[Jane]

The parking at FSI is a disaster - there are far more students than there are spaces. That said, the cars parked parallel are a fire hazard, one for which the city of Arlington has cited more than once. I'd much rather have the firetrucks safely able to get to me (I've even had the opportunity to see a hook and ladder thwarted by the cars on the side) and have FSI promote better public transportation. Right now it's lose lose!

[Sadie]

Oh boy don't get me started! This brings back so many bad memories. The booting started last spring while I was at FSI for language training. Same time they raised the daily rate to $5. The overflow lots are a pain, especially when you're late, and they've become so authoritarian about the main lots. I was so angry one day, and there were people out there guarding against the parallel parking, that I drove in circles for 75 minutes before someone left me their spot. I wasted time, gas, money, damaged the environment, and was late for class. But it made me feel a teensy bit better in a strange way. The whole situation is outrageous. I hear you. Completely.

[Melissa]

I am glad you have blogged about this. The situation is ridiculous and there is absolutely NO reason someone who has paid for parking should be penalized for the lack of parking! Hopefully, someone higher up will see your post and decide some changes for the better need to be made! Maintenance man, yell away because there are a LOT of us standing next to Kolbi supporting her!

[bfiles]

that's not right. I wonder if they are working on alternatives. I'm grateful my schedule gets me there early or I'd be tearing out my hair.