Parking is a tricky task on the LU campus. There are three goals when parking on campus: 1) don’t get a ticket from security, 2) don’t get a ticket from the Appleton Police Department, and 3) don’t get towed! Presumably you will achieve the third goal if the first two are achieved – or will you? Herein lies the problem: Ticketing and towing on campus are not consistent.
Students, faculty and staff are allowed one penalty-free ticket from Campus Security throughout the year. On the second parking offense, the Appleton Police Department may issue a ticket, and on the third offense the car may be towed. These are the rules described in the Student Handbook, but they are, of course, not strictly enforced.
Students have noticed this and tried to take advantage of it. Some students have been lucky in their parking endeavors, and even after receiving a number of tickets – seven perhaps – they have still not been towed. Others have not been so fortunate, and may have simply forgotten to move their cars and gotten ticketed or towed.
If you choose to play the parking game, you play it at your own risk. Tickets from Campus Security and the Appleton Police Department can be very unpredictable and pricey – at $20 apiece several of those really start to add up – so be careful.
Also, beware of fire lanes. If you park next to Ormsby, in between Ormsby and Hiett, or in front of Trever you are parking in a fire lane and the city has every right to ticket or tow you. Here’s a tip: Put on your flashers, they’re less likely to ticket you if it appears you’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Better yet, just park your cars in the ramp. It may cost a little more, but it’ll save you from having to retrieve your car from the impound lot.
Staff Editorial
