Letter: College Avenue decal restrictions poorly communicated to students

Dear Editor,

On Friday, Oct. 22, many students got $100 or more parking tickets for being parked on College Avenue with decals.  I, like many other students, was unaware this was an issue.  I didn’t know that we could be fined for parking there because I thought it was city jurisdiction. Like many others, I had been parking there for a couple of years without issue. Apparently, decal parking only on College Avenue has always been a rule but they have just begun to enforce it.  My argument is that the website only states that you can park there with a red commuter decal.  It does not say that you cannot park there without a decal.

David Sing, head of parking management, asked me if I would ever “park in a lot for commuters.”  I replied, “No, because it is clearly labeled with a sign that says ‘red decals only.’”  There are no signs posted about parking on College Ave., and there is nothing clear on the website about it, either.  Sing told me, “It doesn’t need to say it, you should just know.”

I’ve done my homework.  I’ve called everyone from Ray Tuttle, Dean Rucker, and Susan Knick, and finally decided to go right to the top.  An e-mail conversation with President Rick Hurley actually became pretty long and involved other members of the administration.  They seemed appalled that I was not aware that you needed a decal to park there, but I argued that there was zero signage about the issue.

Finally, after a lot of conversation, I was able to persuade them to put out an email about the issue for the students and post something on the website.

Rachael Wonderlin is a senior.