Southeast tries seniority system for parking

A change in the way Southeast Missouri State University assigns parking permits should cut down on student complaints and tickets issued by campus police, school officials say.

The university, which is currently in the process of adding more parking, will switch to a seniority-based lottery system for assigning its preferred parking spaces beginning July 10.

In the past, the university assigned its preferred spaces on a random basis. All students who applied for the permits had an equal chance of getting the spaces, regardless of their accumulated credit hours.

Under the new system, students with a higher number of credit hours will be given a higher percentage of the much-sought-after preferred parking spaces. Forty percent of the spaces will be assigned to students with 90 or more hours, 35 percent will go to students with 60 or more hours and 25 percent will go to students with 30 or more hours. Those with less than 30 credit hours cannot get a preferred permit.

"This is a student-centered approach that we're taking," said Ann Hayes, university spokeswoman. "It is the result of a Student Government resolution passed in the spring semester."

Dropping citations

Last year, the number of tickets issued by campus police dropped by over 10,000, a decrease of 18 percent. In its annual report, the campus Department of Public Safety cited increased fines for multiple violations as a key to the decrease.

Public safety head Doug Richards said he expects the number of parking tickets issued to keep falling due to the lottery system and the increase in parking spaces.

The university recently purchased the buildings and property of First Baptist Church at 926 Broadway and is constructing two new parking garages at other locations. These projects -- on Henderson Street and by the Show Me Center -- are meant to relieve the pressure for more parking as student enrollment continues to rise.

The preferred spaces are located near the interior of the campus. There is a larger number of preferred parking spots than preferred permits, meaning spots will almost always be available.

The other type of parking spaces, perimeter spaces, are located on the exterior of campus, meaning that students assigned to those spaces have a much farther walk to their classes. They also have more permits assigned per space, making it harder to find a spot to park.

Last year, over 3,000 perimeter permits were issued, compared to about 1,100 preferred permits.

Parking has been an ongoing complaint for students who commute.

"The perimeter parking permits are absolutely not worth it," said Brad Moore, a junior who commutes from Dexter, Mo. "I drive an hour and when I get there, I have to hike 15 minutes just to get to class.

"There have been times when I was running late and I would miss half of my class if I parked in the perimeter parking, so instead of parking in a good spot and getting a ticket I just skipped class. If I don't get preferred parking, I'll just park on the curb."

Senior Tracey Macke of Affton, Mo., said she's not completely satisfied with parking situation, either, but that the new seniority-based lottery is an improvement.

msanders@semissourian.com

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