Parking deck regulations are a nuisance

On Monday, March 1, all parking deck-permit students were sent an email from the Parking and Transportation Services Department detailing the privileges that were allowed to them and the punishments that would be enforced if any of the rules are broken. For those who do not know, the "Parking Deck Patrons," as the department calls the students, have to swipe their UNCW One Cards in order to get in and out of the parking deck, whose one entrance and two exits are blocked by a gate.

As a "Parking Deck Patron" myself, I have been through the many irritating disadvantages of the new on-campus parking deck, including the inconveniently located tall speed bumps that bottom-out my car, the prohibiting of parking in random, sporadic areas labeled "small cars only," and the uncertain days and hours of parking on the first level. Needless to say, I have received my fair share of parking tickets through this endless cycle of trial and error with the deck, and the department has gotten their fair share of my long appeal letters. Whoever is reading these letters, know, without a doubt, my opinion of the matter.

It is only after seven months since the parking deck opened for the school year, however, that the department has finally sent out this email disclosing the fact that the deck in fact "utilizes monitoring software that detects entrance and exit swipes...this software will not allow multiple swipes in or out of the deck." Well, that's a new one.

It wasn't until I could not get into the parking deck with my card today, and after a service manager told me to check my card at the department, that I took a closer look at this email. As it turns out, all parking deck permit holders are not allowed, under any circumstances, to use their card to swipe anyone in or out of the deck. Anyone who "abuse[s] this privilege will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for a violation of the UNCW Student Code of Life."

How. Completely. Ludicrous.

I can't believe it-since when did it become a crime punishable by a trip to the Dean's Office, to use common sense and swipe a person out of the parking deck who has forgotten their card? For Pete's sake a referral to the Dean's isn't short of being found drinking on-campus by the RA! Next time I see a friend or roommate stranded by the gate, am I supposed to casually leave them there and pass on by when a simple flick of the write and a wave of the card would suffice?

Apparently, if a person has used their One Card to swipe someone into the parking deck, they are allowed to pay ten dollars for a "Lost Ticket" at the Pay on Foot Station near the corner close to Dunkin Donuts. Ten dollars?! I am already paying sixty dollars more than normal for the parking deck, which they won't even allow me the luxury of parking on first floor for, now I have to pay an extra ten dollars every time I forget my card or do a good deed by swiping someone? Is there really no better way of doing this? They are basically locking us "patrons" in the deck with no way of exiting- imagine if I had to be at work, or had an important interview, or meeting, or a number of significant things that were time worthy and all that was in between that appointment and me was a gate and a card-detector flashing red? Let me just say that I predict a lot of more broken gates in the future...