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Letter to the Editor: Parking office should work on communication

To the editor:

The parking office needs better communication with students and more options for student parking.
I need to visit Bradley for a week in the summer. Where do I put my car? A call to the parking office says parking even temporarily anywhere on campus may lead to tickets and subsequent fines.

Students parking at the St. James apartment complex without a parking pass are rarely ticketed, despite numerous statements from the Bradley University parking office that the lot is monitored 24/7, 365 days of the year.

Commuter students are ticketed for parking in the faculty lot when the commuter lot is full.

I’m hosting an event for my student organization, and need to park somewhere in order to set up equipment. The parking office says I cannot park anywhere without being subject to tickets.

In talking with my Bradley peers, almost all are unsure where and when students are allowed to park on campus.

One would think a simple call to the parking office would clear up any confusion for students. From my personal experience, phone calls have the opposite effect.

Mixed responses are given. Conversations are had while I am on hold… And I can hear every word they are saying about me. Statements even contradict what BU police say their ticketing policy is (with regards to student parking after 4 p.m.).

One miscommunication with the parking office is acceptable. Two, even, may be fine, depending on the situation. But every time I have communicated with the Bradley parking office, I have left feeling confused, rejected and suspicious.

Suspicious that there is a solution to my problem but they want me out of there ASAP. Suspicious that no one person knows exactly what the rules are, and as a result, students take the financial blame.

I want clear outlines about ticketing policies from Bradley University police and BU parking. I want to know what streets students are and aren’t allowed to park on. I want to have temporary passes available for anyone who wishes to park anywhere on campus. I shouldn’t have to haul equipment in multiple trips six blocks across campus.

Mostly, though, I want to stop feeling like an inconvenience every time I need to put my car anywhere but the Duryea Parking Deck.

Sincerely,

Hope Webb,

Double major in Journalism and French

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