This story first appeared in the March 2018 edition of The Hilltop.
President Sheldon Nord has asked Campus Safety to focus on enforcing parking rules more this semester, according to Mike Roth, director of Campus Safety.
“We’ve been sporadic in the past issuing tickets and are simply trying to be consistent,” Roth said.
The consistency means a notable increase of tickets and the use of devices called “barnacles” that immobilize vehicles.
Reasons students could be “barnacled” include “being a month overdue with ticket payment and failing to make payment arrangements with Campus Safety. Also a determining factor is the amount of tickets a student has,” said Erica Glavnik, Campus Safety Supervisor.
These devices cover the windshield of a vehicle and cannot be removed without paying a fine. If the car is moved without the removal of the barnacle, an alarm will sound.
Students were not directly notified of the change, although the handbook does state that failure to pay a ticket may result in vehicle impounding.
The first student who received a barnacle was Cole Foley. He said he was not directly told the barnacle would be put on his car.
“I received the barnacle because I had unpaid parking tickets,” Foley said. “I was confused initially because I was not sure what it was and what its purpose was. I understand why campus safety would use them, as well as their purpose to keep us as students accountable.”
According to Glavnik, students do receive late notices for their tickets.
“The barnacle is classified as a vehicle impound device,” Glavnik said. “That information is also stated on the ticket they originally receive, as well as a statement about how the vehicle can also be impounded. Students with outstanding tickets receive a two-weeks late notice that states yet again that their vehicle can be impounded for failure to make payment arrangements.”
While he understands why the device was placed on his car, Foley wishes he had been given more information.
“The only thing I wish that happened differently was that I received either a warning about the barnacle prior to it being put on my car or something telling me what it was when it was first put on my car,” he said.
Before barnacles, car wheel boots are used. According to Glavnik, barnacles are more customer friendly because they are easier to remove.
To remove the device, students must call the phone number on the barnacle and pay a fine. If there is any attempt to tamper with the device or move the vehicle, the company will notify Campus Safety.
“The fine to have the barnacle removed was the total amount money owed for the citations, as well as a $100 fee that campus safety returns after the barnacle is taken off and returned,” Foley said.
Campus Safety is suspicious that some students are not registering their vehicles, and the department hopes that by cracking down on illegally parked vehicles, it will benefit students who are abiding by the rules.
They also hope to release a clearer parking map for students.
“Students can know we are in the process of revamping our parking policy,” he said. “I want to make parking as simple as possible.”