Tickets, Tickets, and More Tickets

Let’s take a moment and talk about the one issue most students can agree on, parking. We have to pay $125 to park on campus. That’s $25 more than last year.

My issue with parking is similar to most students. I usually hear the complaint “I couldn’t find anywhere to park.” I can find places to park, they just aren’t marked as an open lot. It’s reserved for faculty and has a specific time when it’s open for anyone, 4 p.m. to be exact.

When I get to campus for my 3:30 p.m. class the faculty parking lot is almost empty. It’s calling my name, daring me to gamble my chances of getting caught so I play along.

After class I walk out to my car and see a big, fat, white and blue ticket for $30 waving at me. It was a 30 minute difference! Cut me some slack.

A couple weeks later I forgot to put my decal back in my car and I didn’t notice until I was already on campus. I live an hour away. I’m not going to miss class to get a sticker for my window.

Knowing I forgot the decal I parked in the farthest lot from campus in the very corner. All I had to do was turn in a paper so I thought I would be okay. Nope. Another ticket was waiting for me.

I went to the Parking and Transportation Office and gave them a piece of my mind. Just because it wasn’t displayed ONE time I have to fork over another $30. They have to look up my UCO account to put the ticket on there so they know I have a decal.

I can understand the ticket for parking in the wrong lot even though it was empty and 30 minutes from becoming an open lot, but I don’t understand the ticket for not having it displayed while I ran inside to drop off an assignment.

I’m already broke trying to go to college so why do they insist on making me pay them MORE money than I already have? Have a little compassion, people.