Pink tickets greeted many an unhappy Lawrentian driver at the beginning of this school year. Before the parking lottery was even held, security ticketed an inordinate number of students for parking in lots, such as the one behind Plantz Hall.
At the beginning of the term, common sense says students should expect a measure of leniency. The last thing a college student needs at the beginning of a term is an unwarranted parking ticket on top of books and other expenses.
Sure, parking is a privilege, but it’s also a necessity to those who work off campus, not to mention education students who are required to transport themselves to observation.
While it may seem important for Lawrence or Appleton police to “lay down the law,” they should wait until after that law is clearly in place and parking has been distributed fairly. Unlike the Honor Code, ignorance should be a valid excuse for parking—especially when, since the parking lottery has not even been held yet, everyone is ignorant.
Perhpaps before a term begins, the proper authorities could provide returning students who parked the previous term with a temporary sticker good until completion of the lottery.
Or, perhaps students can be counted on to use a sort of parking Honor Code until the lottery. Don’t steal a faculty spot, and stay off the city streets.
But come on—should an honest mistake be worth so much money?
A parking ticket is always a nuisance. However, a parking ticket before the parking rules are clarified or even created is not just a nuisance. It’s a scam.