Belhaven University has a 24 hour security watch, but is giving a ticket to a student that pays to attend the school necessary?
Being a college student has its perks, but it also has its cons, one being the amount of tuition each student pays. 70 percent of college students graduate with a significant amount of loans according to Google.com. Students everywhere are stressed with their money situation, and on top of that you can get a ticket for parking on campus. At Belhaven University there is assigned parking; there is parking for each dorm, and a few parking spots for commuters. For each dorm, there are half the parking spots, so if a student needs to park somewhere else, they will receive a ticket for parking in a spot not assigned to them. “I do not believe students who live on campus should receive tickets, obviously cost of tuition to go here is very expensive, so adding onto that is a bit unfair” says Thomas Blake, senior at Belhaven. Students everyday receive tickets from Belhaven Security, and each parking ticket is approximately forty dollars. Macey Lea, junior at Belhaven says, “I don’t believe any student should receive a ticket because there is never a park where you are assigned to, so people over park in other places and everyone gets a ticket”. I asked four students if they had received a ticket and each one said they had received 1-5 tickets in the last year. “I have probably received 3-5 tickets this semester”, says Thomas Blake.
So many students on Belhaven University’s campus receive tickets, many ask is it worth it to even buy a parking sticker? “I would say it is worth it to buy a parking sticker because your chances of getting a ticket are lower, and every now and then I do find a spot”, says Thomas Blake. Many students that I talked to were not happy with Belhaven Security giving out tickets because each student pays tuition here. Students who live on campus are outraged because it is hard to find a parking spot, and no one wants to walk two blocks to get to their home everyday. “I do not think it is worth it to buy a parking sticker because your assigned spot is probably not even correct and each student is usually parking on the street anyways, so I do not believe there is a reason to buy one” says Macey Lea. Do you think students should receive parking tickets? Is it fair? Leave your comments below!
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Thomas Blake, senior at Belhaven University
Macey Lea, junior at Belhaven University
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Katelyn, I could not agree more that this is a huge issue. I do not personally have a car, but many of my friends do. The weekends are the only time my friends and I can ever find parking spots within ten minutes of returning to campus, and we live in Gillespie! Anyway, its a great story idea and its told well. Please, keep raising awareness for this issue.
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I hear people talking about this problem all the time. I think Belhaven should maybe expand their parking spots so students don’t have to keep paying tickets. The amount of parking spots on campus are very low. I see teachers and students walking blocks to get to their cars every day.
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Katelyn, you picked a great topic to do for a story. Like Micki, I do not own a car, but I have heard complaints from roommates and friends about this all the time. I didn’t realize that people didn’t bother getting the parking stickers; I thought that was mandatory, even for commuters, but with the situation as bad as it is, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that people don’t care. My only suggestion might be to break up your story into shorter paragraphs. One of the writing professors here at school always tells me that shorter paragraphs do a better job of keeping the reader’s attention. Other than that, great work!
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I really like that your article is very relatable and brings attention to how most of the students feel. I personally think that Belhaven shouldn’t give tickets. I was here before they assigned specific parking and started giving tickets and I think they should go back to that. I really enjoyed your article.
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I couldn’t agree more! Great content. The costs of going to BU are already outrageous, but it feels like a trap to partake in certain “luxuries” the school claims to provide. I’ve never received a parking ticket but my friends get them all the time. Too often, in fact. This is a huge issue that needs to be discussed and you did a great job of starting the conversation!
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I am a transfer student, so this is the second college I have been to and Belhaven by far gives the most ridiculous amount of tickets! Belhaven should definitely expand their parking spots or something. Personally, I feel that Belhaven should give tickets for parking in certain handicapped spots or just in stupid spots that people obviously shouldn’t park in. Clearly, this is a pressing issue!
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I have had the same trouble last semester. I had been parking in the small parking lot beside the Fitzgerald and Preston buildings and received a ticket. Personally, it had probably been my fault since the signs said that those spots were reserved. Though, I had wished they had said what those exact spots were reserved for. Luckily, I was able to get it waived since it was my first one. Mostly I have been parking in the usual parking place beside the library, and if all those are filled I suck it up and park on the street. Just as long as I do that I am safe. Though, I feel sympathetic for those students who are forced to pay three to five parking tickets at a time.
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