WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 20, 2018 13
BLOCKED
DRIVEWAYS
CAUSE CONE
PROBLEM TOO
I am writing in response to your
editorial “Spare the cones, share the
roads” from your Dec. 13 Ridgewood
Times. While I completely agree
homeowners using cones to “block
vehicles from parking in ‘their’
spots,” is inconsiderate and more
importantly, illegal, your article
did not get to the root of the problem
faced by the homeowners using
those cones.
The issue is not so much homeowners
using the cones to save
“their spots,” rather homeowners
are using the cones in an effort to
deter motorists from parking in
front of their houses and blocking
their legal driveways, impeding
the homeowners from entering,
parking and exiting.
Oftentimes, homeowners will
wake up or come home after a hard
day’s work and find their driveways
being blocked by vehicles of inconsiderate
motorists. That forces the
homeowner to find an alternate
parking spot which can take, as
any driver knows, a lot of unnecessary
time.
Homeowners can call 311 to report
a blocked driveway, but not
being a priority job, a vehicle can
remain blocking a parking spot for
an unacceptable amount of time.
Homeowners have sacrificed a lot
in order to take out a mortgage and
buy a home in Queens. Homeowners
are within their rights to enter and
exit their driveways unimpeded.
Moreover, as much as it is illegal for
homeowners to use cones to block
parking spots, it is just as illegal for
motorists to block a driveway.
Another related reason homeowners
use cones to block other motorists
from parking in front of their
homes is oftentimes, a motorist will
use the Liberty Park section of Glendale
as a “long-term parking facility.”
While it is illegal for a motorist to
park longer than seven days in a
public parking spot on the street,
these motorists take the chance that
no one will call and complain to 311.
Meanwhile, the homeowner must
endure the vehicle accumulating
dirt on it, leaves under it and snow
around it for weeks, sometimes even
months at a time.
To report a vehicle parked over
seven days, the homeowner must
first notice the vehicle’s length of
time parked in the spot, call 311 to
report it, have the NYPD mark the
vehicle, and wait another seven
days for the NYPD to also note the
length of time. That is at least two
weeks, but oftentimes longer depending
on the current workload
of 311 and NYPD. The vehicles and
the area around it quickly becomes
an eyesore.
This is not a defense of homeowners
using cones to block parking
spots, rather an explanation of the
desperate attempt of homeowners
to keep their driveways clear for
their legal use and their curbsides
clean.
Jessica Watz, Glendale
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Why does college cost so much $$$?
BY ROBERT A. SCOTT
Parents, politicians and pundits complain
about the cost of college. They cite tuition
increases that have increased 100
percent since 2001, even aft er accounting for
infl ation. As a result, average tuition is $3,660
at two-year public colleges; $10,230 at public
four-year universities; and $35,830 at private
institutions.
The primary reason cited for increases at
public institutions is the reduction in state
support, which has declined nationally by
$7 billion since 2008. For all institutions, the
reasons include increases in health care premiums,
facilities and marketing costs, student
support services, compliance requirements,
and technology upgrades.
Some political leaders have proposed “free”
tuition as a response. While there is a history
of free college in the U. S., the idea is being revived
as a way of addressing college costs and
student debt. Unfortunately, while making
college free would reduce the price to families,
it would not address the fundamental costs of
college operations. Such costs include those for
administration, “branding,” athletics, and the
costs of instruction. These all require scrutiny
by boards of trustees and presidents as well as
faculty senates and departments.
Families can learn about colleges costs
and student success by using the federal
“College Scorecard” website and comparing
institutions’ average annual costs and
graduation rates. For example, Hofstra’s
cost is $31,815 while its graduation rate is
62 percent. At nearly one-half the cost, St.
Joseph College’s charge is $16,976 while its
graduation rate is the second highest in the
region at 70 percent.
Boards need to be aware of these comparisons
between price and student success as they
consider the alignment of mission, goals and
results. One practice that induces costs is that
of requiring excessive credits for graduation.
This leads to increases in costs for the college
and increased costs for the student.
Another problematic practice is that of
creating scholarships by discounting tuition,
sometimes up to 60 percent. This leads to an
increase in the “sticker price” for all students
in order to provide scholarships incentives
to some. The result is a decrease in net revenue
available for basic services and quality
enhancements.
The benefi ts of higher education are known
and we as a country need more citizens with
advanced education. The correlations between
college completion and employment, income,
health and civic participation are strong. Therefore,
we must fi nd ways to make college more
aff ordable.
Those responsible for addressing these
issues include boards of trustees who have
the duty to monitor the alignment of mission,
goals, priorities, resource allocation and
results, and campus presidents who execute
the strategies designed to achieve the goals.
They also include faculty members who bear
responsibility for establishing curricula and
requirements. Furthermore, they include
state and federal legislatures that have the
duty to fund fi nancial aid and institutions of
higher education in order to fulfi ll commonly
held goals for community and economic
development.
Robert A. Scott is the president emeritus
of Adelphi University and author of the book
“How University Boards Work,” published in
2018 by Johns Hopkins University Press.