Selected sites feature free parking this week

The BSU Parking Office is showing a softer, gentler side during finals week. Until Friday, all unpaid parking tickets will be reduced by half.

To take advantage, tickets must be paid during parking office business hours in person or over the phone. Payments sent through the mail will not be credited with the reduced rate.

Parking Operations Manager Dan Griep said, “This helps everybody out, the students as well as us.”

Griep said the last time BSU offered this reduction in parking ticket fees was five years ago, and stimulated more ticket payment than usual. He also said it has not become a planned, regular occurrence.

“With all of the parking citations on the books, it’s helpful for students who are trying to tie up loose ends to take care of their tickets before summer starts,” he said. It also saves our department money from not having to send out letters.”

The amnesty occurred as a result of Autumn Haynes, student activities coordinator, who proposed the plan in the parking and transportation committee meeting last month.

She also supported a plan that would allow open parking anywhere on campus during finals week.

Although Haynes’ second proposal didn’t pass, it was adopted in a revised form.

Free parking will be offered at all parking meters, on the fourth floor of the Brady Parking Structure by the Multi-Purpose Building, and open parking in the east stadium lot between Broadway Ave. and the Stadium. Parking in these sites will be available with or without a permit.

“We tried to open areas that won’t usually affect normal parking. That’s why we didn’t open the entire campus to free parking,” Griep said.

The committee thought too many people would park on campus, leaving no room at all for the students with permits.

“There is no time limit, but we’d like to think that students won’t park their vehicles there all day,” he said.

Griep said one complaint has been filed concerning the reduction of parking fees: a student who believes the policy is only hurting law-abiding students who pay their tickets promptly.

But BSU doesn’t see it that way.

“It’s like a sale at a store. They aren’t penalizing the people who pay for the item at full price,” Griep said.

Amy Wegner

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