As University students arrived on campus Monday for the start of the summer semester, students were able to choose from a wider selection of parking zones.
The University’s amendment to the zone restricted parking rules added increased accessibility to parking lots previously regulated by University parking officials.
Joined by former Student Government senator Chase Hilton, former parking director Gary Graham and senior director of Administrative Services and Risk Management Jeffrey Campbell put together a pilot program allowing any University student with a valid 2013 or 2014 parking pass to park in the Commuter, Greek and Residential parking zones.
Student Government eagerly pushed for a better parking system to provide more parking space and reduce parking violations.
Campbell, who has also assumed the role of Parking and Transportation director since Graham’s retirement in early April, said the push from Student Government along with the money students will save by being able to use last year’s parking permits were two large factors in the formation of this summer’s pilot parking program.
“The teamwork between the administration and the Student Government will not only help limit wasted parking space while allowing students easier parking for summer classes,” SG senator Andrew Mahtook said.
Damien Rubin, assistant director of the Parking Service office, said any student with an approved University permit would be able to park in zones 1, 2 and 3. Rubin suggested that this has the potential to fill previously vacant parking areas with students who can benefit by parking closer to their intended destination.
While the summer parking allows for parking in zoned lots usually restricted to vehicles with the corresponding zone tag, enforcement manager Damby Hayes reminded students parking in the newly sanctioned areas still requires a University parking pass and warned illegal parking in a B or C zone is still a parking violation that will be enforced.
The pilot program focuses its attention on the Commuter, Greek and Residential zones, which have had the most parking violations.
Campbell says the Greek zones held the highest number of violations, including the East Fraternity Lane lot, the Sorority lot and the Dorothy Dix lot.