With a majority of classes online this semester, students have seen an increase in available parking spots on campus.
Adrian Andrews, the assistant vice chancellor for Public Safety, said he is amazed at how many cars are on campus at any given time.
“Because of COVID, we do not have the numbers that we normally have on campus,” Andrews said.
Andrews also said parking lots aren’t filled to full capacity, so students won’t have any excuses for parking illegally.
“We’re not having too many issues with people giving us the reason why they did not park in a designated spot,” Andrews said. “It’s usually because there was no spot for me, so I just took a chance. That’s usually what they say. That’s not the case now.”
Many students who live off campus are still within walking distance of TCU, but some students still have to drive and park in the correct lots according to their permit.
“We expect people to obey the rules and the laws,” Andrews said. “Then we look at the things we’re charging as far as the price for the permits; we are so low compared to every other university in the state it’s ridiculous.”
There are consequences for people who constantly violate parking laws. After three or more violations, vehicles can be towed, and Andrews said the students know the consequences.
“If they get several tickets, after three or four of those, they can get booted, and that’s something you have to pay for as far as towing,” Andrews said.
Students have also noticed changes in parking this semester. Sophomore Morgan Maes said parking garages are easier to park in due to fewer people on campus.
“Last year it [was] difficult to find parking spots,” Maes said. “This year, I’ve never had an issue of finding a parking spot.”
Sophomore Madelene Riche said she thinks students should get fewer tickets this year due to more spots being available.
“I do think it’s more avoidable because there are fewer cars on campus and therefore more spots,” Riche said. “But I’ve still seen plenty of tickets [handed] out.”
Things could potentially return back to normal next semester with SGA’s resolution passing with 54% of the vote to encourage faculty to hold classes entirely in person.
