Spring Break
Parking permits now available for purchase online
William A. Copeland Contributing Writer
Issue date: 8/13/09 Section: NEWS
Students can now apply for parking permits online, making the application process quick and easy for both students and the administration.
"Electronically you can go online any time, on any computer with internet access in the world and, with the analogy I use, you can do it in your underwear at 3 o'clock on Easter Sunday," said Scott Kangas, the associate director for parking services.
Previously, the system lagged behind and processing all of the student information would take until as late as October. Each card of submitted information would be individually analyzed by a member of parking services. When you have to manually process 15,459 permits, as was the case this last fall semester, that can take some time, Kangas said.
Efficiency is the greatest benefit to come from the switch in moving from a large, document centered bureaucracy to an automated digital one.
Under the old system, a student would have to show proof of campus residency in order to receive the corresponding R, or resident, permit, but now this can automatically be done within three days after orientation by means of an upload through housing, he said.
"People would fill them [these cards] out and probably wouldn't remember their plate number, so they'd make one up. I would have my entire crew working to manually decipher these cards. In the meantime, we didn't know who it belonged to," he said.
Now, with the responsibility of entering information put on the students rather than parking services, data is more reliable and the man power involved in producing it is greatly reduced.
The reforms will likely result in a reduced need in additional distribution staff that work out of the bookstore and are hired over the summer to address the needs of incoming students.
Many are hired to address distribution of permits and permit forms, a service that is no longer needed, but no drastic changes are being made yet, said assistant bookstore manager Shawn Bourdo.
"Every term we're always looking at where our needs are at. We've had increases every term of new and returning students," he said.
Because so many students use the bookstore to buy text books and school supplies in addition to parking permits, the change will be about having to handle fewer students at any given time, though there are expected to be just as many coming to the bookstore overall, Bourdo said.
Similarly, the parking services has given up only one employee so far and is keeping on much of the current staff until progress from the digital switch can be measured and evaluated, Kangas said.
Upcoming future improvements include further promotion of the campus bus lines that now serve more than 12,000 people a day and, at per student request, introducing a reusable and washable permit sticker that leaves no residue.
"Electronically you can go online any time, on any computer with internet access in the world and, with the analogy I use, you can do it in your underwear at 3 o'clock on Easter Sunday," said Scott Kangas, the associate director for parking services.
Previously, the system lagged behind and processing all of the student information would take until as late as October. Each card of submitted information would be individually analyzed by a member of parking services. When you have to manually process 15,459 permits, as was the case this last fall semester, that can take some time, Kangas said.
Efficiency is the greatest benefit to come from the switch in moving from a large, document centered bureaucracy to an automated digital one.
Under the old system, a student would have to show proof of campus residency in order to receive the corresponding R, or resident, permit, but now this can automatically be done within three days after orientation by means of an upload through housing, he said.
"People would fill them [these cards] out and probably wouldn't remember their plate number, so they'd make one up. I would have my entire crew working to manually decipher these cards. In the meantime, we didn't know who it belonged to," he said.
Now, with the responsibility of entering information put on the students rather than parking services, data is more reliable and the man power involved in producing it is greatly reduced.
The reforms will likely result in a reduced need in additional distribution staff that work out of the bookstore and are hired over the summer to address the needs of incoming students.
Many are hired to address distribution of permits and permit forms, a service that is no longer needed, but no drastic changes are being made yet, said assistant bookstore manager Shawn Bourdo.
"Every term we're always looking at where our needs are at. We've had increases every term of new and returning students," he said.
Because so many students use the bookstore to buy text books and school supplies in addition to parking permits, the change will be about having to handle fewer students at any given time, though there are expected to be just as many coming to the bookstore overall, Bourdo said.
Similarly, the parking services has given up only one employee so far and is keeping on much of the current staff until progress from the digital switch can be measured and evaluated, Kangas said.
Upcoming future improvements include further promotion of the campus bus lines that now serve more than 12,000 people a day and, at per student request, introducing a reusable and washable permit sticker that leaves no residue.
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