The historic miscommunication between Parking Services and students has recently resurfaced in a controversy over unannounced parking fine increases.
At the beginning of the semester, the $25 fine for illegal parking was doubled. Students were not effectively informed about this change.
Parking services should have duly notified all students about the change. This notification could also have come with a reminder about rules and regulations concerning parking on the River Campus. After all, if the purpose of the newly-increased fines are to prevent illegal parking, it would have been mutually beneficial to both parties that a formal, informational announcement be made. Therefore, if the unheralded fashion in which these increases were made excludes deterrence as a reason, then the rationale behind an increase in fines should be questioned.
Furthermore, the recent snowfall has complicated the ability to park correctly by obscuring parking spaces. These errors will ultimately force students to park in undesirable areas. To complicate matters further, overflow lots have a tendency to change. Many students will not realize the changes until they have been issued a ticket.
It ought to be the responsibility of Parking Services to ensure that students are appropriately informed of changes to prevent illegal parking. Moreover, appealing to their native justice and generosity, parking officials ought to be more lenient in times of extreme weather.
To fix these communication issues, a Web site, e-mail notification system or mailing list that ought to be easily maintained. If the communication between administrator and student can be improved, a more amicable relationship can be formed.
