Some students may find it a bit easier to park on campus during the day as changes in parking policy and the Safe Walk program have been put in place.
Metered parking stalls were monitored on a 24 hours, seven days a week basis. The policy has shifted to eliminate possible confusion regarding when and where someone can park. Metered parking is now only enforced Monday through Friday during the day until 4:00 p.m., beginning then, anyone may park in a metered spot without paying the meter.
“We think [this change] is a consistent, fair way to treat the meters so that we aren’t having different rules and different parking stalls in the same lot or region,” Chief Scott Marquardt said. “We think it makes it a little more clear for people.”
Marquardt said that these changes reflect a suggestion made by the University Parking Policy Committee.
Commuter and staff lots traditionally have been open parking for someone without a commuter or staff parking permit after 4:00 p.m. but before 2:00 a.m. and now so are any metered spaces on campus.
From 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., tickets will be written for parking in any lot that is not a residence hall lot, the only 24-hour parking lots.
Formerly, there were two types of student workers employed through the University Police: one group who worked during the day mainly enforcing parking and another group who worked the nights for the Safe Walk program. There is only one group who handles both duties.
Marquardt said that the students have now been cross-trained. The students working the day shift primarily handle parking and other tasks given to them and the students working at night are tasked with the Safe Walk program, assisting the on duty officer in locking buildings and doing building sweeps, as well as night parking enforcement.
Sergeant Jason Williams of the University Police Department suggested cross-training student workers and giving them the title of University Resource Officer.
Marquardt stated that the changes have most likely affected managerial aspects more than service and policy aspects.
“I suspect nobody has seen much difference,” Marquardt said.