The last thing a student wants to see after a long day of classes is a parking ticket. The fear of that orange slip tucked tightly between the wiper and windshield is common among most students who commute to school. Parking has been a contentious topic on campus for several years, with students and faculty both complaining about tickets and lack of space.
A freshman student at the university, Colleen Sommerfeld, claims she parked her car one night in a Green Permit Zone and a few days later received a call at work saying she had been given a second ticket. She said she had no idea she had received a ticket in the first place so this call came as a surprise.
When going to move her car “There was a dangling piece of laminate paper saying EV only,” Sommerfeld said. The laminated paper was placed between two Green Permit Parking spots.
One ticket that students struggle with is the one given for failing to display a license plate. This ticket is commonly given to vehicles backed into parking spots. Not all states require a front license plate. Therefore, the most common recipients of this ticket are out-of-state students. Cars with plates placed in the window of a car will also be ticketed as failure to display. This is due to the sensors not being able to read the plate.
As a freshman student, Sommerfeld has to live in the dorms, where finding parking spots at times can feel like a battle royal. With the loss of parking spots due to the construction of the new dorms and the restructuring of the Ivinson Parking Garage, parking has become a struggle for students. The restructuring of the Ivinson Parking Garage removed many of the metered parking spots to replace them with permit parking. Now metered parking can be found along the South facing wall on the roof of the parking
Finding free parking areas around the center of campus is nearly impossible at certain times of the day. The University does offer free parking close to campus and offers transportation to campus. The East and South Express Lots are free day parking for students and have busses that go to campus.
The parking lot on the East side of War Memorial Stadium is also free for students to use, except on game days. However, the stadium parking lot does not have a bus stop shelter, so students either have to wait exposed to the cold and wind at the Gateway Center stop or walk up to the East Lot to catch the bus.
“You don’t have to worry about parking. We have plenty of parking in both of those Express Lots,” Said Paul Kunkel, Director of Transportation Services on campus. Many students utilize the free parking in the Express Lots and take the bus daily, but many are hesitant.
Parking complaints have been a persistent issue for several years and will most likely continue to be a strained topic for years to come. In the meantime, students and staff can only try to do their best to get by with the hand they have been dealt.
