AU Public Safety officer Knancii Black said on Friday that her effort to curb illegal parking on and around campus will make the world a better place, and is important to her personal fulfillment. Black said she didn't feel loved as a child and is now seeking validation in the form of cowering students whose cars have been booted after ignoring thousands of dollars of parking tickets.
"Parking illegally is not only a blatant and egregious violation of university policy, it's just plain offensive," she said. "I can't understand why students would be unwilling to pay the $800 a year for a permit. We're practically giving spaces away at that price."
Despite what Black calls an "affordable price tag," many students say a permit is overpriced, especially considering they have to pay for things like food and books.
"If money grew on trees, I would certainly buy one of those permits, but it's just not in the cards," said Nagem Trouser, a senior in the School of Communication. "I'm definitely guilty of throwing away tickets. I probably have 50 that I haven't paid."
Trouser's car was booted in the Bender Garage after receiving her 45th ticket - a total of $2,210 in fines. After finding her car immobilized in the garage one night after class, Trouser went to Public Safety and admitted she was fully in the wrong by ignoring so many tickets.
"I was pretty embarrassed I let the situation get this bad, although it's hard to take the parking policy seriously when they just let the tickets stack up like this," Trouser said. "I mean, am I supposed to believe Public Safety means business if all they do is write meaningless tickets?"
Trouser said she received "a vicious lecture" from Black, even though she offered to pay her fines in full. "I don't think anyone has talked to me like that since the time my mom grounded me for missing curfew in seventh grade," Trouser said.
Black said she thinks it's important that students feel downright disgusting for their parking violations. "It's just not okay for these kids to parade around like they are immune from punishment, just tossing tickets to the floor like worthless trash," she said.
Junior Carissa Oldroom is one of those students who parks without a permit.
"Usually I park at meters on the streets around campus, but every now and then I park in the garage because I'm running late," Oldroom said. "I don't do it to purposely break the rules though."
Steve Barris, a student ticket writer, said he write tickets for Public Safety because he's a total soulless sellout, but "it doesn't hurt that the devil pays well."
"Public Safety makes sure to not ticket the diplomats we have on our top secret 'no-ticket' list - I mean, er, we try to be firm but fair. But it's no secret that Sargeant Black cries herself to sleep every night," Barris said.
