Go Cardinals!
Well, more precisely, go move your cars around in a mad scramble as you attempt to figure out the round-about system Parking Services uses on football game days during the school week.
Here's the plan's synopsis. Freshmen and other on-campus residents without spots by their residence halls move from the Scheumann Stadium lot to commuter parking lots. Commuters move to the top floor of parking garages.
Be warned - it's a deceptively simple plan. Somehow, dozens of cars are towed from the stadium lot, countless commuter students are late to class because they couldn't find parking spots and, inevitably, people who can't find spots park illegally and are ticketed. Unfortunately, statistics on tickets and towed cars is unavailable because Parking Services Manager Nancy Wray is on vacation, according to office staff, and will be during the parking debacle this week.
This plan of moving freshmen and commuters has been tried before without much success. Older students have learned it's best to be dropped off by a friend instead of fight for parking. Wise freshmen look for safe places to park off of campus. The rest of us deal with it. Sure, the plan gets Ball State University through the football game day, but it inconveniences most of the university community in the meantime.
Insanity is sometimes referred to as repeating the same process and expecting different results. That's not going to happen, so Parking Services needs to try other plans - even if they fail. At least new plans have the chance to yield better results.
We have a handful of suggestions, which we know aren't perfect, but they are something new.
Parking could be a free for all everywhere except the stadium and metered lots during game days. Drawback - the best spots would be filled quickly. Advantage - as long as there are spots open on campus people can park.
Ball State could try again to coordinate with nearby businesses, churches and the police to allow students with permits to legally park somewhere off campus for a day. Drawback - Muncie business and residents might be unwilling to cooperate because they could be disadvantaged. Advantage -¡- everyone wouldn't be trying to cram into a limited number of on-campus parking spaces.
Parking Services could be more lax about ticketing during game days and only ticket vehicles parked dangerously or illegally in handicapped spots and other strictly restricted spaces. Drawback - people could take advantage of the system and Parking Services would not receive money for tickets that day. Advantage - People unable to park in their normal spaces would not be penalized for a situation that is out of their control.
These aren't perfect, but they are a jumping-off point for more solutions to game-day parking. Send Parking Services your suggestions at parking@bsu.edu. Make Ball State aware of your problems so maybe next year the university will try something new.
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