Every new semester at American River College, students are required to purchase parking permits, whether it be for the entire semester or for daily use. While the requirement might be seen as another financial burden for students as they adjust to the new semester, it could also be the beginning of a new frustration for those who buy the semester permit online.
At the beginning of the fall semester, many students bought their parking permits online, fulfilling the requirement to be able to park their vehicles in the campus parking lots. While waiting for their physical copies to be mailed to them, students attended classes and used the lots despite the lack of a physical permit on their vehicle. As students hoped the online purchase would be enough, the Los Rios Police Department started enforcing their policy of a physical permit being displayed on the vehicle, and began ticketing students that did not have a permit displayed.
“Students have been receiving parking tickets while waiting for their permits to be mailed to them and it doesn’t seem fair,” said Pamela Downs, a director and professor of theater arts at ARC’s theater department.
LRPD suggests that students purchase their parking permits before the semester begins and it will be mailed, on average, within two weeks after purchase, according to the LRPD parking permit information page.
In addition, the LRPD website does not give an estimated time on when permits should be expected in the mail if they are purchased late.
“Per our policy, permits must be displayed as they are tied to the student and not their vehicle,” said LRPD Dispatch.
“However, we do not send out the parking permits, nor do we process purchases. All purchases and mailings for permits go through Business Administration,” according to the information posted.
When contacted for a statement, a representative from the Business Administration Services about parking permit delays declined to comment.
The parking permits can also be purchased on campus at the Business Administration Services building, at a price of $41. The permit must be visible through the vehicle’s windshield, whether it be a sticker on the lower corner of the passenger’s side or on a hanger that hangs on the rearview mirror. If cited for not having a visible permit, students will be ticketed and fined.
With the reinforcement of parking permits reinstated a year ago in the 2023 fall semester after the protocol of free parking was instituted during the Covid-19 pandemic, some students disagree with the decision to bring it back.
“I was a student here during the Pandemic and we didn’t have to pay for parking,” said an ARC student who asked to not be named. “I don’t think we should have to pay for parking and it should be free for all students.”
Tickets can be paid through a student’s E-services account, which accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover. If a student receives a parking ticket that they feel is unjust, they have the opportunity to appeal their ticket with the LRPD.
For more information, students can head to their website and learn how to appeal their case at the Citation Processing Center.
