So Much For Parking Enforcement at TU

A snip of an email received on August ninth, sent by LeAnna Lamb, director of parking at the University of Tulsa:

You are encouraged to pick up your permit either before Monday, August 15, 2011 or on the first business day you return to campus. Campus Security’s enforcement of authorized parking will be in effect on that date beginning at 8:00 a.m. In addition, New Student Orientation check-in begins on August 15th.

I’d like to know where security is actually enforcing those parking violations. I’ve looked at numerous cars in Mayo Village’s lot and haven’t seen any car (besides mine) to actually have a valid parking permit on display. Of all those unlicensed cars I’ve only seen one car to actually get a ticket, and I’m not wholly sure they were ticketed in Mayo Village. Maybe the cars have parking permits and haven’t picked them up, but even then, don’t the rules require display of the permit rather than simply having bought one?

Of course, even if the University enforced the parking violations, it’s hard to actually get people out of the parking lot who are chronic violators:

Designation as a “Habitual Parking Violator” occurs after five parking citations have been issued on the same person or parking permit within an academic year. Vehicles that are improperly parked by Habitual Parking Violators are subject to towing at the owner’s expense.

Upon issuance of fifth parking citation , the Department of Campus Security will provide written warning to the registered parking permit holder (or person in possession of an unregistered vehicle) that they have been designated as a Habitual Parking Violator and that their vehicle is subject to being towed upon any subsequent violations.

Five violations until someone will be towed. I’ve actually run into people who’ve bragged about being able to avoid paying for a parking permit for a whole year simply because of the number of times the University will ticket before they consider towing.

Why is the University giving students five chances before we even consider towing their cars? Isn’t one ticket a good enough warning to tell students they’re parked illegally and either need to buy a pass or stop parking in the lot? Absolutely. So allow me to propose a no-nonsense parking enforcement plan:

Ticket One: Student is issued a standard $25 ticket (or non-monetary warning within the first ten days of a school year).

Ticket Two: Student is issued a $50 ticket and price for a parking permit doubles to $100 dollars. Student is warned their car will be towed upon next violation

Ticket Three: Student’s car is towed and ticket raises to $100 dollars and student loses the ability to buy a parking pass for the reminder of the semester. However the student can buy a pass that would allow them to park in an on-campus commuter lot.

Ticket Four: Student’s car is towed and ticket doubled again to $200 dollars. Student loses car privileges for the rest of the academic year, including being able to buy a commuter lot pass.

Ticket Five: Student’s car is towed and ticket is doubled to $400 dollars. Student’s housing license is revoked for the remainder of the year.

Ticket Six: Car towed, ticket doubles, and student loses campus parking privileges for the remainder of their stay at TU.

Any Further Tickets: Car towed, tickets continue to double, student is expelled and trespass charges filed with the Tulsa Police Department.

Draconian? Possibly, but at the same time parking permits aren’t hard to come by and aren’t exactly expensive so there’s little reason to not have a permit. That being said, with the opening of the Fisher West Suites last year the university may need to consider changing how (and if) freshmen can have cars on campus. The reason for the change is because with the addition of the suites (and the restriction of the lot to (supposedly) suites’s residents means that freshman from Fisher South almost exclusively park in Mayo Village, taking away spots from apartment residents. However, any changes to freshman parking privileges should come after the university starts enforcing their regulations.