Whether it’s due to an all-night study session or an evening out with friends, many commuters oversleep and arrive late to campus. They hope to find any available parking spot, and after class, they walk to their cars with a sense of dread as they picture a white slip paper on their windshield — a parking ticket.
Students at the University of Mississippi have complained about parking for years, but a recent increase in enrollment has exacerbated the issue, leaving frustrations at an all-time high. Many students find themselves parking illegally in a desperate attempt to make it to class on time.
“I think that Ole Miss needs a commuter parking garage because it is difficult for most students to find a parking spot unless they get on campus before 9 a.m.” Rachel Spencer, a junior accounting major said. “This is inconvenient and can cause people to miss class if they are unable to get to campus early.”
As students struggle to find parking spots in their own lots, they often receive citations for parking in faculty and staff lots or otherwise reserved spots. When they are cited and fined, that money goes back to the university. During the 2022-2023 school year, Ole Miss collected $1,314,130.70 in revenue from parking fines. By Sept. 14, 2023, less than a month into the current academic year, the university had collected $144,705.
“DPT (Department of Parking and Transportation) uses the parking citation revenue to repay the bonds on all our parking garages and improve our existing parking assets around campus,” Assistant Director of the Department of Parking and Transportation Matt Davis said. “We also use that revenue to invest in future parking and transportation projects that will help benefit the entire university community.”
Parking fines can range from $25 to $100 and are dependent on what spot a student takes. The specific citations can be found on the DPT website.
Upon receiving a ticket, each student has the option to go through an appeals process. The parking appeals board will hear a case and make a decision based on evidence. If the appeal is unsuccessful, a $5 fee is tacked onto the original fine. The Daily Mississippian made multiple attempts to reach out to a member from the Student Traffic Appeals Board but received no response.
Zone restrictions are enforced Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Although this time frame is well known by students, some find the restrictions difficult to follow when they are required to be at events on campus.
Spencer received a $100 ticket at 4:55 p.m. Although the ticket was later repealed and voided, she remains frustrated that it happened.
“I believe that they should stop ticketing at 4:30 instead of 5. Most people who are in Greek life have to get on campus before 5 p.m. if they want to be able to eat dinner, but it is difficult to do this because of the fear of getting a parking ticket,” Spencer said.
Grant Harrison, a junior accounting major, believes that the price of parking tickets is unfair to students.
“I think the incremental increase in the prices of parking tickets is ridiculous,” Harrison said.
Although many students continue to face frustration, the Department of Parking and Transportation Services maintains that they are only here to help.
“Our department prides itself on being service oriented. Our mission is to provide efficient management of parking and transportation resources with a focus on customer service, financial responsibility, innovation and sustainability,” Davis said.
Harrison also echoed Spencer’s suggestion about building a new parking garage. By adding more options for students to park, the number of tickets and fines given may decrease.
“I think the university needs to build a commuter parking garage. Lack of parking is a huge issue for students, and the university simply doesn’t have enough land to continue to pave more on- level parking lots,” Harrison said. “I think the school should make a parking garage on the commuter parking lot across from Sigma Chi or the faculty parking lot across from ATO. Providing more parking is the best way to reduce the amount of tickets.”
In a September interview, Assistant Director of Parking and Transportation Hal Robinson explained there will be a residential garage built alongside the new dorms planned for the Kincannon Hall site. As for commuters, Robinson asserted that money and land availability were inhibiting the university’s ability to provide a new commuter garage; however, as enrollment continues to rise, a garage is not out of the question.
