Map was taken from CSU’s Parking homepage

  Returning students were surprised on Aug. 20 when they discovered that the parking lines in front of University Hall, Lot 14, had been changed. The parking lines, which were white last semester, are now green. Many were concerned and wanted to know why this change had been made. The Saber reached out to find out what happened.

For those unfamiliar with parking rules at Columbus State University, parking spaces are color coded to designate who is permitted to park in certain areas on campus. Blue parking spaces dictate accessibility parking, green spaces dictate faculty and staff parking, and white spaces dictate student parking. There are two other types of parking spaces — visitor spaces and electric vehicle charging spaces — and these are also marked. However, these are marked with clearly visible signs or painted lettering. Therefore, if a student parks in a green or blue space, then the student is susceptible to a written citation or fine for breaking parking regulations. In order to park on campus, all drivers must possess a parking permit that is valid through the current school year. To purchase a parking permit, visit Ilges Hall on the first floor.

So, What Happened?

  Parking Services is a department created by Columbus State University to improve safety and security on campus for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Saber asked Parking Services about the changes in Lot 14.

When initially questioned, they told us the color change was a mistake by Parking Services’ contractors. The mistake occurred over the summer and was not remedied before the start of school due to a Student Life activity happening that Sunday on Aug. 19. Thirty-two parking spots, originally for students and visitors, now belong to faculty and staff. We were reassured that accessibility parking spaces were not affected by this change.

Parking Services also iterated that all parking regulations must be followed despite the mistake. These parking regulations, known as the Parking Code, are available online at https://parking.columbusstate.edu/. If these rules are not followed (for example, if students park in spots designated for faculty and staff), drivers are subject to written citations. However, Parking Services stated, “we will be lenient in Lot 14 until it is properly repainted.”

What Actually Happened

  Amanda Smith, the Parking Coordinator for Parking Services, informed us “that Lot 14 will remain a faculty and staff parking lot.” With the implementation of faculty parking in front of University Hall, Parking Services hopes that employees at CSU will now park there instead of in the parking garage, which will free up spaces for students in the parking garage. Students have also been given 25 parking spots in front of the Welcome Center and 40 parking spots by Clearview Circle. Parking in front of Lenoir Hall will also return to student parking when construction on the building is complete.

That totals up to at least 65 new parking spaces for students without including the ones in front of Lenoir, while the faculty and staff only gain 32 with the new change. Smith also had this to say:

“The main campus parking garage is for student and visitors only; consequently, faculty and staff should not park in the garage on the main campus.”

Whereas students are written up automatically for citations of parking in the wrong spot, employees are not held to the same regulations as students.

Important Changes in Parking

  We asked Smith for clarification on certain parking regulations. Specifically, we focused on the ability of students to park in faculty and staff parking after 5 p.m., on why the parking spaces next to the tennis court have been painted green as well, and on how a new policy is being implemented on campus.

The Parking Code states that students will be issued a citation if caught parking in spots designated for faculty, staff, visitors, or accessibility. Nowhere in the Parking Code does it state that after a certain time, students are allowed to park in other types of parking spaces. Students were allowed to before, but with the new parking regulations in place, students are no longer able to park in faculty and staff spots after 5 p.m.. To avoid being issued citations, we advise students to only park their vehicles in white spaces and to have updated parking permits.

It has also been made clear that the parking garage is only reserved for students between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.. That means that before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m., parking spots are open to everyone.

In regards to Lot 3, the parking spaces by the tennis courts, Parking Services informed us that they were incorrectly painted and would be returned to being white-lined spaces as soon as possible. However, they said that the double row of green employee parking spaces would remain the same. The painting mistake has since been remedied, and both students and employees of CSU can now park in Lot 3.

In addition to these new parking spaces, there is a new policy being implemented called “No Pull Thru, No Back-In Parking.” This policy refers to how a driver parks inside a parking space. Parking Services no longer wants students to pull through or back into parking spaces because of a new feature in their parking monitoring system. This new feature, known as a license plate recognition (LPR), is used to scan license plates on parked vehicles. This feature works best when the license plate of the vehicle is facing the road, not the inside of the parking space. At present, the Parking Code does not state whether a student will be issued a citation if found parking incorrectly.

Smith stated that, “we are currently evaluating options for those who wish to continue pulling through spaces or backing into a space.” Rest assured — for those who are hesitant to change their parking styles on campus, or merely forget to, Parking Services is looking for ways for students to park how they wish. However, these methods may incur additional costs. How they will accommodate stubborn parkers or how they will enforce this new policy is currently unclear, but we will provide updates when the information becomes available.