Parking at Central Connecticut State University becomes frustrating for students who have received tickets while working to afford tuition and other school necessities.

Ray Monaccio, a senior and international studies major at CCSU, said she was new at locating the designated parking spaces during her first year. The parking ticket she received applied a lot of pressure when she didn’t have a job to afford it.

“I thought that was a little, you know, unfair with the tuition and textbook costs and all that.”

Sergeant Densil Samuda, CCSU Police Department Patrol and Investigative Division Supervisor, said parking tickets are issued when there are complaints about improper parking or noticed during parking patrol.

“The one [parking] we focus on are people parking in handicapped spots or halfway blocking the travel lanes and stuff like that,” Samuda said.

Students can appeal against tickets by presenting their case to the parking appeals committee, which meets every three months.

“Students who think they got a parking ticket in error should pay the ticket, fill out the parking appeals form, and participate in the parking appeals committee meeting.”

Samuda said parking spaces are abundant.

Monaccio said she has become more aware of parking spaces available throughout her years.

“I commute every single day at different times, like in the morning and afternoon,” Monaccio said. “I’ve never had a problem finding a spot.”

Student violations commonly occur when students run late to class and park in forbidden zones closer to their class, Samuda said.

“Unless your ticket is forgiven through the parking appeals committee, you just have to pay the ticket,” Samuda said. “Everybody knows where they should or should not be parking.

Considering the inconvenience and financial burden, students who have gotten a parking ticket can be frustrated.

Alexis Lykowski, a communication major and senior at CCSU, said it would be more helpful for students to receive more warnings than a ticket.

“I think that it’s inconvenient. Because it is a waste of time, it is also a waste of money for students who are struggling financially. No one wants to pay them, but they know they have to, so they do it.”

Jason Chen, associate professor at Central Connecticut State University, experienced when parking in the Vance garage. His concerns relate to cleanliness in the garage and students using the garage to smoke, citing personal experiences where the smell lingered for an extended period.

“I have no problem with students being able to park after hours and during the weekend,” Chen said. “However, I would like to see that the Vance garage is not littered with fast food trash after many weekends when the gates are not up to allow all to park. I also wish that students who choose to park do not use the space to smoke weed as the smell lingered even after the entire weekend. Finally, having a drinking party in a parked car with headlights on seems suspicious.”

Samuda said students can not in reserved spaces or fire lanes and a permit is required to park in handicapped spaces.

Samuda urged students to look for the parking signs before entering a parking lot. Parking signs are color coded. Parking signs colored red are for commuters and visitors, green are for student residents, and yellow is for faculty and staff. These parking rules apply for Monday to Friday at 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. These rules are lifted on Saturday and Sunday and resume again Mondays at 7 a.m.

Students who plan to leave their vehicles on campus for an extended period, especially in the winter, should park their cars in a garage.