University of Alabama students who incur parking fines can now pay off a ticket by completing community service.
UA’s Student Government Association has launched Parking with a Purpose, a partnership with UA Transportation Services and the Office of Student Conduct that will allow students to complete two hours of community service to pay off tickets for “failure to register” and “improper zone” issued on campus.
Students can use Parking with a Purpose only once per academic year. The program ends after 500 tickets have been rescinded within the academic year.
“I first had this idea when many of my friends were complaining about parking tickets, and I thought maybe there is something we can do to help, so I started researching what other schools did,” said Clay Martinson, SGA vice president. “I found that Arkansas’s Student Government had a program like this in place, and essentially we have used their model.”
The program does not include citations for illegally parking in a handicapped-accessible space or improper zone citations in faculty and staff parking. Parking with a Purpose is only available to UA students.
Students must print and fill out a form at the SGA’s website and include documentation of completed service. Students must then take the form, proof of service and the original citation to the SGA office in 2617 Ferguson Student Center. The SGA’s judicial board will review the paperwork for authenticity.
Martinson stressed that Parking with a Purpose is not for repeat offenders.
“We wanted to create a program that would allow students who might be running late for class or park in an improper zone to have the ability to work off that fine,” Martinson said. “We think that many students who really need that $50 will be able to use this program and benefit from it greatly.”