Although there have only been 121 parking citations so far this semester compared to the 418 citations last semester, the security office's three parking boots seem to appear more frequently around campus.
“There have not been more tickets,” said Matt Fassero, director of operations. “There have been more boots, but that is because they don't get booted until the third ticket. Those build up at the end of the year.”
According to Fassero, the vehicle owner receives a $100 ticket for the first offense. Because he or she has not registered his vehicle with the college, the security office does not know who the vehicle owner is.
That changes with the second offense. In addition to serving him another $100 ticket, security looks up his information. If the owner commits a third offense before paying for the tickets, a boot is applied to the car.
“In reality, the boot is a merciful thing,” said Fassero. “The boot helps because it stops at three. It is easier to explain to someone why they got two tickets than it is to explain that they got eight tickets and owe $800.”
The pattern behind the tickets may be simple, but the reason for the parking citations themselves may illustrate a deeper problem. Some find the rules confusing.
“When I was living on campus, I got the permit and I tried to read the list of places you can park, but I was even more confused when I finished it,” said Benedictine student Emily Bell. “I just parked in the parking lot for my dorm.”
Bell did eventually find a more understandable list of permissible parking places on the Benedictine website.
Bell also wonders if more might be done to accommodate off-campus students.
“There are enough places to park, but it stinks that they aren't always where you want them to be,” Bell said. “I think it might be nice to have meters for people who don't want to buy a permit because they aren't on campus all the time.”
Although security does issue tickets, people caught without parking permits are not penalized as heavily as they would be for other violations.
“If people get a ticket, they need to apply for a permit, and that ticket goes away,” said Fassero. “If you respond and apply for a permit, you don't have to pay for that ticket. You do have to pay for the second ticket and for the removal of the boot, which is also $100.”
