Questions about a possible parking deck and cuts to campus bus routes and Emergency Medical Services led discussion at last night's student forum.

About 100 people attended the forum, presented in the Student Center by the Student Quality Advisory Committee, in which students questioned if anything could be done to stop off-campus bus route reductions planned for this fall.

University officials said much of what has been cut will be covered by PARTA; however, some routes, including those heading toward Akron, are still up in the air.

"I don't know if much can be changed for the fall," Administration Vice President David Creamer said.

Creamer said that in the early 1990s, the university was forced out of a deal with PARTA, causing it to start its own bus service. Now, with bus costs rising and state funding falling, officials are trying to keep steady.

Students also challenged the university on cuts to EMS services, asking why the university doesn't cut non-academic initiatives, such as sports.

"Intercollegiate athletics play a very significant role in this institution," Creamer said, asserting that athletics contributes a great deal of good to the university, but adding the department is evaluating ways of cutting costs.

Health Services Director Jerry Thomas said as EMS service is cut, the $5 fee students pay to the service will be shifted toward an all-day nursing hotline, which students can call to consult health experts.

Officials also discussed the wisdom of constructing a parking deck on campus and the effects for residents in the city.

Creamer said he isn't sure whether students are strongly in support of the deck, but if they show they are, officials will "certainly consider the issue" and consult the community.

Some questioned how university officials would decide if a "majority" of the students support construction of a parking deck.

"That's a difficult question to answer," Creamer said, adding that if student turnout on voting next week is low, officials will seek out different ways of gauging opinion.

"It does us very little if we get 300 people to vote," he said.

Members of Students Eliminating Environmental Destruction asked what benefit the university saw in doing business with Boise Corporation, a paper company SEED says harms the environment.

Creamer said university's stance is to decrease consumption of paper on campus, and he challenged the organization to encourage students to change their paper usage.

"I think we're making options available that make sense for the university," Creamer said.

After the forum, some students were dissatisfied with answers they received.

Kenny Pritt, a state-licensed EMT in health services, said he felt his questions were answered, but some were "danced around."

Pritt, sophomore nursing major, said he thought students were getting "screwed" out of services.

"I don't think students are getting the best end of this deal," he said.

Jim Mueller, senior general studies major, said officials seem to be caught unprepared in dealing with low state funding and increased busing costs.

"There seems like there's been a real lack of planning," Mueller said, adding that the campus bus service and PARTA should have been working together to find solutions before it got to the point where services had to be cut.

SEED member Julie Gumerman said the student forums are a great place to air complaints and learn of other groups' concerns.

Gumerman said she was happy to hear official answers to her questions; however, she didn't hear the answers she wanted.

"At least we got what their public stance is on that (Boise Corporation)," she said.

E-mail: jcarrach@kent.edu