Ann Kopecky

It’s the first week in September. The car is unloaded, the bags are unpacked and now it’s time to park the car.

But there’s a hitch.

Any vehicle parked on campus by an employee or student must be registered with the University Police Department and have the appropriate vehicle parking permit properly displayed.

Kelly Anawski, secretary of the UPD, said orientation is a perfect time to buy a parking decal.

“A lot of people do it at orientation when they come here. It’s one least thing they have to do when they get to campus then in the fall,” Anawski said. “We actually encourage them to do that.”

While a parking permit does not guarantee a parking space, it does guarantee an opportunity to park within a specific area or lot.

If a student parks in the wrong parking area or violates a traffic law on campus, he or she has 96 hours to pay.

According to Anawski, a $3 late fee is added on and after that if the ticket isn’t paid, the fee can be added on to tuition for next semester.

“After that if it is not paid, they can put a hold on transcripts, grades or diplomas,” Anawski said.

Besides paying the ticket, the student can file for an appeal process within the first 96 hours if they feel they have been wrongly accused of a violation.

After bringing a copy of the ticket down to the UPD office, a date and time is set up and a letter goes out to the student letting them know that they will appear before the appeals committee.

The appeals committee is made up of one faculty member, one student and the Appeal’s Chair.

“No one from UPD is on committee so there isn’t a bias there,” Anawski said.

If a student loses an appeal or fails to appear before the committee, a $10 fee is added on to the ticket.

According to Anawski, the number of students who appeal varies from month to month.

“A lot of times, weather-related tickets get taken there,” Anawski said.

“From October to February, we’ll have 25 to 30 people who appeal tickets and show up. In later months, there may only be 15 to 20.”