Parking Services to implement new email notification system at suggestion of SGA
The complaint most often heard by Central Michigan University Student Government Association President Chuck Mahone usually has something to do with on-campus parking.
When Mahone was voted in as president last spring, he decided to take action regarding his constituents‘ top concern. This fall, students can expect to see the fruits of Mahone’s labor.
Effective fall semester 2014, students that receive a citation for a parking violation on-campus will receive an email notification reminding the student they have received a ticket.
The SGA President decided to pitch the idea to CMU Police Chief Bill Yeagley after receiving complaints of tickets that had either been stolen off of a ticketed car or blown off by the wind, rain and snow.
“It’s an interesting issue,” Mahone said. “I had never worked with CMU Police before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. They were very receptive to our ideas, though. Parking issues remain one of the top things we hear about from students. Hopefully this initiative will help fix some of those problems.”
CMU Parking Services conducted a four-day trial period during the final weeks of the spring semester to test the proposed email notifications system. In collaboration with the university’s Information Technology department, parking services had developed a process that worked.
Mahone’s suggestion transformed into a reality.
“We always want to serve our customers in the best way we can,” Yeagley said. “We weren’t really sure how to resolve this issue, but Chuck was very forward-thinking through the whole process. It turns out a win-win for everybody.”
Yeagley also warned that punishment might be handed down to students who are caught stealing parking tickets off of a vehicle that is not theirs.
“If someone is caught trying to harm or circumvent our process, then we could potentially take a look at that person’s parking privileges,” he said.
While the initiative is aimed at making students’ lives easier and parking less distressing to their wallets, some students don’t agree that the system will work.
Senior and Dallas-native Tyler Jurecki is one of those students.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “No one is going to read that email or give a damn. Personally, I think there should be a grace period when it comes to parking tickets. If I have a two-hour class, I don’t have time to go and pay the meter.”
Yet Matt Sherlock, a 20-year-old CMU junior, applauded the idea, adding that if CMU sends out emails about tickets, the message will get relayed in a timely manner.
“That’s how all my professors get a hold of me, so I don’t think this should be any different,” Sherlock said. “I’ve never gotten a parking ticket here. But if I do, I’d appreciate CMU giving me a heads up.”
Check back with cm-life.com for more stories on student parking.
