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Smith College Office of Public Safety

Dear Smith Students,

Last year, at my request, the college formed an Ad Hoc Parking Rules and Regulations Committee to review current policies, determine areas that might be improved, and create consistency in the regulations. The committee consisted of two Staff Council members, two Physical Plant representatives, two Public Safety employees and one student.

As a result, we have improved college parking regulations in several ways, including expanded student parking and a new policy for vehicle registration. To view the new regulations, consult http://www.smith.edu/pubsafety/ .We will phase in these changes during the next 10 months.

With these new regulations, we hope to reduce the issuance of parking tickets while accommodating the needs of the community. Highlights of these changes follow:

Active as of Thursday, September 1:

• 100 perimeter student parking spaces have been added and are available for only $25 for the academic year.

• Paradise Road has become part of the parking system with new lined spaces, which will require a student decal.

• The Mandelle Road parking lot has been converted from staff to student-only parking.

• We have eliminated the student parking lottery as there has been little demand recently. Seniors will still retain first choice of parking decals, beginning September 12; until September 14. Juniors may purchase any remaining decals September 15 and 16. On September 19, remaining decals will be available to sophomores. Within those dates, decals will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

• With Physical Plant’s help, we have increased the number of usable spaces in the parking garage during snow storms.

• During the snow season, only vehicles with Smith parking decals will be allowed to park in campus snow lots. Vehicles without Smith decals will be towed.

• The parking appeals committee has been reformatted to include three members. I will ask the SGA to appoint a student member. Public Safety will have no role in the decisions of the committee.

• Unregistered vehicles that receive more than three tickets will lose campus parking privileges. Upon receiving a fourth ticket, those vehicles will be towed from campus.

Active as of January 1, 2006:

• Parking fines will increase. The new parking fine schedule can be found at http://www.smith.edu/pubsafety/

• We will begin monitoring the issuance of parking tickets to registered vehicles. Student vehicles that accumulate more than seven tickets within one academic year (tickets issued this fall will not be counted) will lose campus parking privileges and be towed.

Active as of July 1, 2006:

• Student vehicles will no longer be allowed in staff spaces; those spaces will be used to support college events, visitors, and programs.

• Campus parking signage will be reviewed and improved.

• 10 to 12 meters will be added to visitor spaces in the Green Street and Elm Street areas to improve parking turnover.

The Ad Hoc Parking Committee will meet again mid-academic year to review the impact of these changes. Your feedback is welcome and can be sent to me at pominsky@email.smith.edu.

Sincerely,

Paul Ominsky
Director of Public Safety

9/1/05