I have a simple arrangement with the world. Lay down the rules upfront, and so long as the rules are reasonable, I’ll try to abide by them.
When someone changes the rules without notice and then punishes others for not following the new ones, that isn’t a very nice thing to do.
The gist of it is that students can no longer park in staff parking until at least after four. However, as far as I know, the signs still say 3 p.m., and there has been no announcement that I’ve seen. Don’t worry, though, they will still ticket you, regardless of the lack of communication on their part.
Now, I’m not saying it was done on purpose, but I am saying that it’s a good way to tick off students. If UTM wants to make a new policy regarding parking, that’s fine, but the university has to tell us, otherwise we resent it when we get tickets for parking somewhere when the signs indicate that it’s okay.
I haven’t even gotten a ticket, and I’m upset. It’s the principle of the matter. Inform students about the change; that’s certainly better than misinforming students about where and when they can park in certain areas.
Why is staff parking no longer open for students after 3 p.m.? I’ve seen campus at all hours of the day and to be honest, there is always space in staff parking after 3 p.m.
Now, I love the staff here at UTM. They work hard and they know what they’re talking about. My complaint is not aimed at them.
I already sort of have a problem with the staff parking theory anyway, as I’m much more in favor of a parking free-for-all, but I’m not upset by it particularly. The UTM staff have set places that they have to be at set times so separate parking sort of makes sense. It also serves to make a distinction to increase respect and all that good stuff. So far, so good.
My problem is that anytime after 2 or 3 in the afternoon, it is clearly observable that there are a lot of empty spaces in the staff parking lots. So rather than fill those empty spots with the cars of students, the spots are going to sit empty for a few extra hours.
I realize that it is such a little thing compared to the wider concerns of the world or even just the wider concerns regarding the UTM campus. Maybe that’s why it bothers me so much. This is such a simple thing to get right; make an announcement and change the signs.
