2008 Woodie Awards
The wonderful world of parking tickets
Students express concerns, dissatisfaction with ticketing and appeal procedures
Aaron Cammarn
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Features
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Upon finding a bright yellow envelope tucked under your car's windshield wiper, feelings of anger and betrayal probably cloud your mind.
Would you be surprised to learn that your misfortune was determined by a fellow student?
Of course, there has to be some sort of parking regulations on campus. Like every other institution with an ever-growing student population, this campus must have established rules and guidelines to maintain proper order in regards to traffic.
Without rules, parking would be chaotic and anything but safe.
That said, some students still cannot help but feel that the majority of tickets received are anything but fair and often complain that they are unfounded.
Sophomore Abbey Martin received a ticket because a Hawaiian lei hanging from her car's rearview mirror had partially covered her parking decal.
"It was obvious that it was an MTSU decal and that it was current," says Martin, who paid the fine to avoid the hassle of appealing.
So who are these students that some see as "attacking their own?"
Nancy Weatherly, manager of parking and transportation on campus, set forth the following standard operating procedures and some little known facts about these "ticketers":
Ticketers are almost all currently enrolled students who are paid hourly, she said. They are also not part of the work for study program, but rather employed by the Parking and Transportation office.
They have no "quota" to meet and are not pressured to give tickets. (In fact, their unsung motto states: "If in doubt, don't write," according to Weatherly.)
New employees receive two weeks of training before the authority to ticket.And, after training, would-be ticketers are required to pass an examination.
And, finally, at all times ticketers carry a walkie-talkie to communicate with a supervisor for guidance.
One of the major problems students have with parking tickets is the appeal process.
Many students on campus have appealed tickets without reply.
So who is responsible for student appeals? Who is to blame when a student contests a ticket and never receives a reply?
Again, the answer may surprise you.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
Ashley
posted 3/31/08 @ 7:34 AM CST
This is a bunch of crap! Easy way to fix not getting a ticket... don't park where you aren't supposed to park. I have no sympathy for idiots who park in the grass, park in a handicapped spot (that isn't handicapped), park in a fire lane, park in a housing staff spot, or park in a white lot. (Continued…)
David
posted 3/31/08 @ 8:05 AM CST
I received a ticket for parking in front of a meter at 6:30am while I ran into KUC. When I got back, the envelope was under my windshield wiper. Since I was at the parking office as soon as they opened the doors and before the parking meters were to be used, they took care of the ticket for me. (Continued…)
Bethany
posted 3/31/08 @ 9:05 AM CST
I used to complain about the parking situation all the time when I went to MTSU. Now I am in a graduate program at another university (which shall remain unnamed) and everyday I miss MTSU's parking. (Continued…)
Kristin
posted 4/01/08 @ 8:19 PM CST
I would just like to say that parking garages are needed here badly! Maybe they are not the most attractive buildings in the world, but there definately not the worst and they could save a lot of space by creating more parking on less land. (Continued…)
Daniel
posted 4/07/08 @ 7:53 PM CST
In regards to the bus situation,
I used to ride the buses often when the S Rutherford lot opened, because I could walk to the bus stop from my house. (Continued…)
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