Freshmen and sophomores often accrue more parking tickets than most upperclassmen, according to Director of Parking and Transportation Mike Harris.
“Freshmen have probably never parked in zoned parking, never had to have a permit on their car, aren’t familiar with campus, don’t read the signs or aren’t as attentive because they’ve got all these other things going on in their mind,” Harris said.
The most common citations written by the parking office are for no-decal parking and restricted area parking.
Fees are billed to the student’s bursar account. Citations can be appealed within 7 days of receipt through an online portal via the department of parking and transportation’s website.
After three unpaid citations, the student’s vehicle may be immobilized with a wheel lock.
“Around the core of campus is where you’ll get most of your citations,” Harris said. “Around the Tad Smith area and the Lyceum, everybody is trying to get into that central portion of campus and they end up pulling into a spot. Maybe they don’t see the sign, maybe they misread it or maybe they’re just late for class and that’s where they park.”
Many cars receive tickets in commuter lots because the spaces are oversold, Harris said. Commuter spots turn over about three times a day when upperclassmen go back and forth between campus. Commuter decals are sold 2.5-tags-to-a-space, accounting for this turnover.
“When you get into that sophomore year, you’re kind of looking for those places that are closer to the center of campus and vying for those spaces where all the other commuters are looking for those spaces,” Harris said.
(Courtesy: Parking and Transportation Department)
Parking and Transportation Officer Greg Dieffenbach said bigger parking lots generate more tickets.
“Typically, you’ll find a lot of citations in faculty and staff or commuter lots where residents are parked there,” Dieffenbach said.
Though some days vary, Dieffenbach generally gives anywhere between 30-to-35 citations on average during an eight-hour day, with most tickets occurring either early in the morning or around the lunch hour.
As for students who have not purchased a permit, Harris said there are always permits available.
“We just don’t have specific permits,” Harris said. “Get what’s available. We have waiting lists and we work people off the lists as spots in certain zones become available.”
Due to the recent rise in purchases of parking permits, residential overflow vehicles now park in the Silver Residential lot near the old Whirlpool plant. Off-campus satellite lots have an on-call van service that provides transportation to and from the lot and campus.
When commuter parking permits run out, Park-N-Ride permits are sold and allow students to park in a secured satellite lot and ride a shuttle to campus.
Other modes of transportation provided include Rebel Pedals bike rentals, the Zipcar rental program, Zimride carpool program and the Oxford-University-Transit bus system that allows Ole Miss students to ride for free with their student ID.
Harris said avoiding tickets while parking on campus is simple.
“Buy a permit,” he said. “Park in your zone from 7:30 (a.m.) to 5 (p.m.) Monday through Friday. That’s all you’ve got to do.”
