2008 Woodie Awards
Letter From the Editor
Parking vigilante issues final warning to illegal parkers
Sara Stevens
Issue date: 9/16/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
It has come to my attention that a number of miscreant students here at Marist have absolutely no respect for the parking rules and regulations on campus, and that security's threat of booting or towing illegally parked cars is quite an empty one. While I can sympathize with the students' frustration regarding the lack of parking options at our school, my sympathy comes to an abrupt halt when this frustration hinders the legal parking of rightfully entitled registered drivers.
Last Monday night, after a long day of classes and a longer evening of running errands off-campus, I wanted nothing more than to return to my dorm and crawl into bed. Upon my arrival I discovered, much to my dismay, that the lot for which my permit holds was completely full. Not wanting to make an unnecessarily long walk home, alone, in the wee hours of the morning, and unwilling to accept a ticket for parking in an unmarked space in my rightful lot, I decided to call security to see what I should do. After being told that there was nothing they could do to remedy my immediate parking dilemma, I was informed that I could park across the street in the Beck lot or by the north end field in the Hoop lot without receiving a citation. The security officer with whom I spoke offered to send a S.N.A.P. escort, but was otherwise unable to solve my problem. He added that Marist does not "overbook" the parking lots, so my misfortune fell as a direct result of my fellow students' choices to park in my parking lot illegally.
I'll save my commentary on the S.N.A.P. program for another day, as it will suffice for now to say that I am weary of student escorts. So, unable to think of a better solution, I was forced to follow the security officer's suggestion and then make the long trek home, all by my lonesome. Unfortunately for the student culprits at the source of my woe, this long walk gave me some time to wallow in my anger, and to develop a plan of action.
The next time I find myself in a similar situation, I intend to record the license plates and Marist parking permit numbers of all the students parked illegally. (After making the aggravating extended walk to my dorm, another minute in the parking lot won't faze me.) Then, my call to security will not be to ask for advice, but rather to report these cars. While security seems hesitant to boot or tow illegally parked cars, they are well known for their readiness to hand out expensive parking tickets.
That said, I would like to encourage other students who find themselves in this frustrating circumstance to do the same. To the culprits, I encourage you to take this as your warning. If you think it's annoying to have security on your case, just imagine what it will be like when the students whose parking spaces you've stolen team up against you.
Last Monday night, after a long day of classes and a longer evening of running errands off-campus, I wanted nothing more than to return to my dorm and crawl into bed. Upon my arrival I discovered, much to my dismay, that the lot for which my permit holds was completely full. Not wanting to make an unnecessarily long walk home, alone, in the wee hours of the morning, and unwilling to accept a ticket for parking in an unmarked space in my rightful lot, I decided to call security to see what I should do. After being told that there was nothing they could do to remedy my immediate parking dilemma, I was informed that I could park across the street in the Beck lot or by the north end field in the Hoop lot without receiving a citation. The security officer with whom I spoke offered to send a S.N.A.P. escort, but was otherwise unable to solve my problem. He added that Marist does not "overbook" the parking lots, so my misfortune fell as a direct result of my fellow students' choices to park in my parking lot illegally.
I'll save my commentary on the S.N.A.P. program for another day, as it will suffice for now to say that I am weary of student escorts. So, unable to think of a better solution, I was forced to follow the security officer's suggestion and then make the long trek home, all by my lonesome. Unfortunately for the student culprits at the source of my woe, this long walk gave me some time to wallow in my anger, and to develop a plan of action.
The next time I find myself in a similar situation, I intend to record the license plates and Marist parking permit numbers of all the students parked illegally. (After making the aggravating extended walk to my dorm, another minute in the parking lot won't faze me.) Then, my call to security will not be to ask for advice, but rather to report these cars. While security seems hesitant to boot or tow illegally parked cars, they are well known for their readiness to hand out expensive parking tickets.
That said, I would like to encourage other students who find themselves in this frustrating circumstance to do the same. To the culprits, I encourage you to take this as your warning. If you think it's annoying to have security on your case, just imagine what it will be like when the students whose parking spaces you've stolen team up against you.