Photo Credit: Rachel Fox

M-A collects approximately $1000 a year in parking fines

The worst thing a fourth quarter senior can hear is that they can’t graduate because of some unforeseen technicality. These technicalities usually come in the form of not completing safety ed, not turning in books, or having that dreaded 18th absence. Getting too many parking tickets is not one that people typically anticipate. After two and sometimes three years of parking on M-A campus, its pretty easy to rack up a few parking tickets and even easier to put off payment of them. Failure to pay can come with disastrous consequences—especially for seniors.
When viewing the big picture, getting a parking ticket is by no means the end of the world. They usually come with a $35 penalty, which turns into a $45 mandatory payment if it is not paid within seven days of the infraction date. All in all, M-A collects approximately $1000 a year in fines according to school treasurer Nancy Meacham. These fines support on-campus as well as PAL league dues and even manufacture of parking stickers.
“Punishment is typically handled on a case to case basis”, says AVP Secretary Sandy Nelson, who is in charge of parking at M-A. Nelson does her best to talk to the students about why they needed to park in an unauthorized spot and work out a fair punishment based on previous offenses and behavior. These punishments could range from community service to loss of privileges including dances for chronic offenders.
Overall, parking on campus has become much less of a problem that in subsequent years. The completion of the PAC and its parking lot has led to a situation in which we have a surplus of parking spaces for the first time in M-A history. The difference is dramatic—400+ parking spaces, as opposed to around 250 in previous years. Next year parking permits will be distributed on a first come first serve basis for the first time in years. Juniors and even Sophomores will no longer need to wait for Seniors to have priority. But if for some reason you don’t want to park in the senior lot or athletic lot, make sure you don’t have a parking pass, otherwise the security will gift you with a $35 contribution to our budget that you can’t decline.