Graduate Student Senate passed a resolution at last night's meeting asking that graduate students be given a parking distinction allowing them to park in commuter lots over night.
Many graduate students qualify for commuter parking permits, but these lots do not allow overnight parking. Graduate students often work on research during the night that requires them to park on campus.
It's kind of absurd to get a parking ticket while doing stuff for the university
said Alyssa Thomas, senator for the College of Arts and Sciences and a sponsor of the resolution.
Some experiments require monitoring during the night, and it would be a shame for graduate students to get a ticket for doing an experiment, said Eroica Soans, representative for the department of chemistry and biochemistry and a sponsor of the resolution.
The change would also help create a distinction between graduate and undergraduate students while bringing graduate students closer in line with university employees, Thomas said.
Although the overnight parking rule is rarely enforced, students can still get a ticket for it, Thomas said.
Creating a distinction should not cost the university much money, Thomas said. All that would be needed is a decal that could be added to the commuter pass, she said.
The senate passed a second resolution asking Parking Services to define overnight parking. Currently no definition exists.
From an enforcement standpoint it is ridiculous not to have a definition readily available Thomas said.
Tickets are only supposed to be given for repeated violations, Thomas said. The first time a car is noticed overnight, the violator is supposed to get a friendly reminder
but this does not always occur, she added. She said she knows from experience.
My first ticket was for commuter overnight
she said.
1
News
Jackie Best
