The big yellow machines you see in all of the parking lots, sometimes, with people waiting in line to use them. You may have wondered ‘why are they buying a single day parking permit?’
Within a 30-minute period in parking lot 1, three people purchased single day permits. One student purchased a permit and two non-students who said they had business to do on-campus also purchased the single day permits.
Yvette Wright, business major, purchases two single day parking permits each week at $5 each. That’s $10 a week and in just one month she has paid more than what it costs to buy a permit to park for an entire semester. The cost of a parking permit for the semester is $35. If you qualify for the Board of Governer’s Waiver (BOGW) the cost is $20.
Wright did not purchase a permit at the beginning of the semester because she did not see an option for it while registering. She has purchased permits in the past when she was at the Fullerton campus. This is her first semester at Cypress. She has been buying the single day parking permits for a while now. In the beginning of the semester she received some violations, “I’ve gotten three tickets which totaled over $100” she said.
There are seven single day parking permit machines on campus. One machine located in each lot. There are two side by side in parking lot 1 next to the ATM. The machines only accept cash, however new machines are expected to arrive in the near future and those will be able to accept debit cards.
Campus Safety, Officer Douglas Smith, writes out citations for various violations throughout campus. If he had to rank a list of the most popular violations, parking without a permit would be around number three. “Students who miss four plus weeks without a permit are less likely to buy one,” said Smith. “They think ‘it’s raining and we’re not out there or it’s hot and we’re not out there.’” He advised if students need to run in a transcript or have other errands they need to take care of on campus there are several 24min. parking spaces which allow you to park on campus for free.
If you are a student without a permit, like Wright, it’s not too late. You can park in the free 24min. parking space, run into the Bursar’s office and purchase a parking permit anytime during the semester. The Bursar’s office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to Noon.