Parking responsibility falls on students, not UPD

I really hate to be that guy, but I’m going to be that guy in defense of the university administering parking tickets.

Last year I was notorious for parking illegally around North Complex or in the scattered ‘A’ parking lots on campus. If I had to guess, I would say I was given six or seven little red tickets from the University Police Department.

I made the embarrassing trek to Slagle Hall’s business office between classes a few times, and I coughed up $15 too often for any college student deciding between the Dollar Menu or Asian Buffet on the weekends.

Well, thankfully for my bank account, I broke a bad habit of parking illegally. I don’t live on-campus, but I purchased my ‘A’ parking pass to give myself safety for trips to go to the library or classes.

I actually came to the realization that the root of my illegal parking was impatience. It had nothing to do with a lack of access to parking spots or being given enough time to move my car.

On most of the occasions where I was charged, I had forgotten about my car or thought I was invincible from tickets.

I eventually decided it was no longer worth trying to claim the closer parking spot if it put me at risk for a ticket.

It wasn’t the university patrol’s fault that I decided to test my luck. I was stealing somebody else’s deserved spot in the parking lot.

North Complex’s parking lots had plenty of parking spots for me to find one. Sure, it seemed unbearable at the time to walk the extra 100 feet in the winter from the back of the parking lot, but a ticket for parking in the Commons parking lot forced me to cough up money and walk more than 100 feet to the business office.

I was also bitten by the “failure to display” ticket after taking my parking pass down for road trips. That instance was more frustrating than other tickets.

But still, I realized few excuses really exist for parking illegally around campus or Vermillion as a whole.

The ‘A’ parking lots are only illegal to park in without a parking pass from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on average class days. ‘B’ parking spots are available near almost all buildings.

The money from parking tickets isn’t wasted by the university, and parking spots are always available across campus.

I used to be a frustrated offender, but it’s easier to be a patient abider of rules.