The tuition at the University of Indianapolis is constantly increasing and to top it off, the university has ramped up the amount of parking tickets they have been giving students. Needless to say, the University of Indianapolis has a parking issue. Recently, students on the UIndy App have been reporting an increase in parking tickets.
This comes after there has not been nearly enough parking for students for quite some time. There are specific lots and spaces for certain individuals to park, but most of the time those places are full. Not to mention, the life of a college student is very hectic, with busy schedules and a number of responsibilities that require us to be present at certain times everyday.
I, myself, am a resident of one of the campus apartments, Greyhound Village (GV), and for the last two years I was a resident of the apartment complex across campus, College Crossing. Living on UIndy’s campus the last three years has been good for the most part. I am extremely grateful to have a roof over my head on a college campus, getting my degree and representing the university as a student-athlete.
Being that I live at GV, I am not permitted to get any other parking passes on campus, which means the only place on campus that I can park without getting fined is GV. There are many places on campus that are over a ten minute walk. The distance is not what bothers me, it’s the fact that I have other prior obligations that require me to be on time across the campus.
Time is not the only factor for me and other students. There’s often times where we have to carry not only a bookbag, but sometimes food and other necessities that make driving a much easier experience. Students understand where to park, but the poor weather makes walks to class unbearable. Having to walk in unpredictable weather conditions comes with the perks of living in Indiana, which means driving a car to class or other events would be extremely helpful as well. I am completely on the side of walking to places on campus if you have the ability and time to do so, but most times that’s not the case. Walking is a great means of transportation, it’s good for the environment and all of our health, but sometimes walking to class is the last thing that students want to do when the weather is not in our favor.
As I mentioned before, I am a student-athlete, and most of the time that I spend on campus is at places where I am not allowed to park, unfortunately. According to the UIndy website, ticketing enforcement is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays to better accommodate faculty, staff and students arriving in the afternoon for evening commitments. Also, parking is open in all lots on weekends and outside of these hours during the week, with the exception of yellow curbs, reserved and ADA spaces.
This information is great and all; however, I feel in past years they have not been ticketing nearly as much as they are currently. I completely understand that parking in certain areas on campus is prohibited, but to allow students to do it the entirety of the 2020-21 school year and then to all of a sudden write up countless students all in the same two-week period is inexcusable. Maybe if the university and the officers wrote a ‘warning’ ticket for first time offenders of parking in the wrong spot, that would go over better with some students, instead of just coming out of nowhere to ticket students for parking in spots they have been parking in for the last two years.
It’s unfortunate that the university goes from turning a blind eye to where students were parking for the last year to going completely overboard by giving out multiple tickets a day. It’s even more unfortunate that the university raised the tuition for the upcoming year, which did not go over well with the students. In response to this, what does the university do for its students? Give out $50 parking tickets to the same students that are being hit with the tuition increase. While this may not actually be the case, it seems as if the university likes to take money out of our pockets.
I had a recent conversation with one of my teammates, sophomore supply chain major Nolen Wolf, about how he got a $50 ticket in the gravel lot behind the Athletic Recreation Center (ARC), where most, if not every single student-athlete parks to get to their sport obligations. As of right now, the only parking passes that are allowed in that gravel lot are Green (D) and Yellow (CA, GR) permits. I received a $50 ticket during the second week of February after parking in the exact same lot I have for the last three years without receiving a ticket. I appealed it, like many other students, and I have not heard back yet to see if it was accepted or not. I am not getting my hopes up, however, because I have read over and over again on the UIndy App how everyone is getting their appeals denied. Thank you UIndy for making parking on campus just another one of our problems as college students.
I do not want to sound like a snitch or anything of that nature, but most, if not all of those parked cars in the lot did not have the correct parking permit like my teammate. It is a little unfair that he received a ticket while all the other cars go unpunished. It seems as if the officers were not writing up every car in the lot, rather they were writing up who they felt like on that specific day. Some people may think that these students are parking in places that they are not permitted to because these college students are lazy and like to disobey rules. However, I think it goes to show that these same students are parking in places that are easily accessible for their schedule.
The university should increase and expand parking for its students so that every single student can have accessible parking in the places that they are going to be spending the majority of their academic year. For example, why not give the nursing students a parking pass for outside of the Health Pavilion? This can be said for any student of any other major at the university. Furthermore, student-athletes should get a parking pass for the lots that are right outside of where we train and where we spend a majority of our days, weeks and even months.
No student should have to worry about having to pay a ticket for parking at a school that they are paying thousands of dollars to attend. I completely understand that parking is limited and that there are rules to follow, but that does not mean that the rules can not be changed or altered to benefit the students.
