On the cramped streets of College Hill, it is not unusual to see a car or vehicle in violation of parking regulations, whether double-parked or left in an illegal zone. For some University employees who must run several errands during a given day as part of their jobs, the neighborhood's parking shortage can be particularly troubling.
"Parking on the East Side is difficult for every employee," said Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services. Willis added that employees sometimes need to move their own cars during the day to avoid getting a ticket.
Though Willis acknowledged that in some situations it might seem appropriate to have the University pay for parking tickets received when driving University vehicles, "if you pay one, it opens up the floodgates."
As a result, any Dining Services employee who receives a parking ticket has to personally pay the fee.
"We tell folks that we don't have the ability to pay parking tickets," Willis said. "It's the University's policy that we don't pay them."
Ann Hoffman, associate director of Dining Services, said the office doesn't "condone illegal parking."
Other offices that require their employees to drive University vehicles during the day have similar policies in place.
Facilities Management employees who receive parking tickets are "responsible to pay for it themselves," said Stephen Maiorisi, vice president of Facilities Management. The drivers "are responsible while driving the vehicle," he added.
Fred Yattaw, manager of Mail Services, also said employees from his office that receive parking tickets will not be bailed out by the University.
Maiorisi said he believes this policy "came from the (University) Controller's Office," adding, "I guess if it comes from the Controller's Office that's the University's policy."
A representative from the Controller's Office could not be reached for comment for this article.
Facilities Management has by far the largest number of vehicles on campus, operating a collection of 45 trucks and vans, according to Maiorisi. The fleet of maintenance vehicles typically can be seen traveling across campus during the day. When not in use, the vehicles are parked in a lot at 295 Lloyd St.
Mail Services has only one vehicle, while Dining Services has two. When Dining Services vehicles are not in use, employees can make use of three off-street parking spots behind the Sharpe Refectory. But because the vehicles travel frequently during the day, the parking arrangement can make for a "do-si-do" situation, Willis said.
Willis said parking tickets are "sometimes" an issue for Dining Services employees, but this has only occurred "once or twice" within the past five years.
Because employees pay their own parking tickets, Maiorisi said "we don't really track" how many tickets are accumulated by Facilities Management drivers. If an employee received too many tickets, he said, it wouldn't be seen as a problem unless the violations interfered with the employee's driving capabilities.
