Letter to the Editor

Editor,

This letter is regarding how out of control parking tickets have gotten. I’ll tell you a quick story, this is the same story that I told the appeals officer and I am awaiting a reply.

I was waiting in my car for a parking meter space to become available. I was waiting against a curb next to the C8 parking lot on the west side of the industrial science building. I was not blocking any traffic because a large cement truck turned the corner where I was waiting and had no problems. A parking lot officer came to me and said, “can you please move?” I stated that I would not be here long and that I was just waiting for a spot to become available. She then stated that she would have to give me a ticket because I was parked illegally. I then followed her advice and drove away. I did not even know I had recieved a ticket until I found out about it when I went to pay a ticket that I recieved when my parking permit fell off of my rear-view mirror.

Can anybody truly say waiting for a parking spot to open up is against the law, in which I deserve a citation, or a ticket? The issue isn’t as much why I don’t deserve a ticket rather, the fact that giving out $20 tickets left and right is just a way for the parking office to make money or give some ‘police officer in training’ something to do. I challenge any student body official or anybody else to do something to stop the harassment. I’ll definetely vote for someone who changes the busy-work of the parking lot enforcers. I am open to any advice. Also, if anybody thinks I was wrong to patiently wait for a spot to open, rather than aimlessly driving around in circles, I encourage you to let me know. Even if I do get this ticket dismissed how much time did I waste in which I could’ve spent studying? Truly Harassment.

Tyler Tew