SGA Ride Van

Starting on Thursday 9/18, the new SGA Safe Ride Van will start for the academic year.

At this time, the shuttle will run only Thursdays-Saturdays from 10pm-2:30am. This excludes college break and extremely inclement weather.

If you are interested in become a driver, please contact the Fleet Office or Public Safety. If we can recruit more drivers, we will be able to run the service more during the week.

The shuttle will be on a loop system on campus. The van will arrive at its assigned stop every 30 minutes. The stops are:

1. 1837/Mandelle Lot, waiting area at the lamp post near the blue light phone
2. Chapin Rd (for the Rockies & Mary Woolley Hall), waiting area at the PVTA bus stop
3. Gateway Rd (for Brigham & the Library), waiting area at the speed limit sign on right
4. Gateway Rd (for Psych & Ed Building), waiting area at the lamp post
5. Dunlap Place (for the Betty Shabazz Center), waiting area at the blue light phone
6. Equestrian Center Drive (for the Equ Ctr/Lot), waiting area at the blue light phone
7. Park St/Ham/McG Drive (for Ham/McGregor), waiting area at the lamp post on left
8. Lower Lake Rd (for the Art Museum area), waiting area at the PVTA bus stop
9. Lower Lake Rd (for the rear of Blanchard), waiting area at the blue light phone
10. Blanchard Circle (for Mead & Wilder), waiting area at the lamp post on the right
11. Faculty Lane (for Dickinson Hall), waiting area at the blue light phone
12. Gorse Lot Front, waiting area at the blue light phone
13. Gorse Lot Rear, waiting area at the blue light phone
14. *Fleet Parking lot, waiting area at the blue light phone

*The SGA Ride Van does not usually go into the Fleet Vehicle parking lot. However, drivers who are returning fleet vehicles between 10pm-2:30am, can be picked up in this lot by calling Public Safety dispatch, who will radio the van driver to go into this lot on the next circuit.

The Safe Ride Van is for safety purposed for MHC students traveling alone & has limited capacity. If you are going to your final destination in a group, please do not ask for a ride.

How come I can't park in a F/S space?

If you are a student, you must be wondering why you cannot park in a Faculty/Staff space when they are empty.

Well, those spaces have to remain available after hours for events on campus or even for your guests. When employees of the campus leave for the evening, there are many other uses for those spaces. This is why students must remain in their designated spaces.

Unregistered guests to campus may park in a Faculty/Staff space from 5pm-7am the next business day or in Torrey Lot until 9am.

Visitor Passes

Now that all the students are settled in with their decals, classes and schedules its time to have visitors on campus.

If you are expecting a visitor to campus, please stop by the parking office to pick up a FREE pass during our business hours. The information we will need to give the pass is the plate #, make and model of the visitors vehicle.

Visitor passes can be made out for a day all the way up to a semester long pass.

If a visitor comes in for a surprise, your visitor may park in a Faculty/Staff space from 5pm-7am the next business day. Or in Torrey Lot from 5pm-9am the next business day. The reason Torrey Lot has an exception, it allows a 1/2 hour for you to obtain a visitor pass from the time the Parking Office open until tickets start to be handed out.

Parking Registration

Don't forget, if you have a vehicle on campus, it needs to be registered with the Parking Office. This goes for students and employees.

We will need your plate number, make & model of your vehicle. If you are a student and your vehicle is registered with out-of-state plates, we will also need additional information (your insurance information and your VIN number from your vehicle).

The Parking Office is located in Central Services. When you are walking from Blanchard Hall, past Ciruti Center, you will walk by our front door. Please stop by during business hours to register your vehicle. We are open 8:30am-5pm for today and tomorrow. Starting next week we will be back to our normal hours of 8:30am-4pm.


After you come through the main door, please come on over to the Parking Window. If one of us is not sitting at the window, please press the button for service and we will be right with you.

We are pretty busy this time of year, but we will always assist you. So, if we happen to be on the phone while you approach the window, please be patient and we will be right with you.


After you finish filling out your paperwork, it will take only seconds (unless the phone rings) to process your paperwork.


Then the data entry starts for us! Unless you applied online, you help us out with inputting the information. Online registration can still be done, but the discount is no longer in effect.

Welcome Back!

Well, a new academic year is upon us! We are ready for your parking needs, bike registrations and questions.

This week, the office will be open from 8:30am-5pm. Starting Monday 9/8 the office hours will return to normal (8:30am-4pm), but we will still be here to assist you.

We are looking forward to a smooth and wonderful school year and we hope you will be too!

Back To School Checklist

Favorite Pillow

Cookies from Mom

Money on One Card

Bed Raisers

Posters for wall

Cozy Rug for feet

and most important.........

Parking Decal

Meet us in Gorse Lot!

Orientation will be here sooner then you know! With that in mind, the Parking Office will extend the hours during that time to help accommodate your needs. The Orientation schedule is-

Located in *Gorse Lot* and look for our tent
Sunday 8/31/2008 from 10am-5pm
Monday 9/1/2008 from 10am-5pm

Located in *Central Services* in the normal office area
Tuesday 9/2/2008 - Friday 9/5/2008 8:30am-5pm

Starting Monday 9/8/2008, the office hours will resume to the normal hours of 8:30am-4pm.

How do I pick up my decal?

If you registered online for your student decal, you can stop by the Parking Office Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4pm to pick up your packet.

The decal will be charged to your general bill. We do *NOT* except any type of payment for your decal in the office.

If you did not register online, but would like to pick up your decal before the made dash season, please do stop by during business hours to fill out your paperwork. Withing minutes, your decal packet will be completed and you will be all set for the academic year.

Do NOT park in a fire lane!

On campus, do not park in a fire lane. A fire lane is a location around a building that allows direct access for emergency vehicles to assist with fires or medical emergencies.

Here on campus, the penalty is a ticket or even a tow if the situation is in need of immediate results.

So, next time you are thinking of pulling in from of a campus building to run in for a minute, think again and park your vehicle in your designated area. It will in the long run save you money and save valuable minutes in an emergency situation.

What if my car is here only for 1/2 a year?

If you are a student and will not have your vehicle for the entire academic year and you don't know what to do about registering it, don't worry! This is what we suggest you do......

If your vehicle will be here in the Fall, but not the Spring-you must purchase a decal at full price. Before you leave at the end of the Fall semester of before 12/31, scrape off your decal and return it to the office. I know its sounds easier then done, but we need as much of the decal scraped off even if its in millions of little pieces. After you turn the decal in, you will receive a refund on your general bill that will reflect 1/2 of what you paid in the fall.

If your vehicle will be here in the Fall & J-Term, but not the Spring-you must still scrape off your decal before 12/31 and follow the same instructions as above. Then for J-Term, we will give you a paper pass for your dashboard to cover J-Term. There will be a fee associated with the temporary pass.

If your vehicle will be here in the Spring (starting in J-Term or Spring Semester)-stop by after the holiday break to apply for the decal. The cost will be half of the full year decal.

Can I park in the Villiage Commons Lot?

The Village Commons Management has asked that students and employees who are not using the shops, please do not park in there parking lot. The spaces that are taken up all day for convince takes away the spaces for the patrons of the Village Commons.

The management team has asked the Parking Office to assist in parking enforcement for their location. If you do park there overnight, you will receive a warning. If you accumulate three or more warnings, your vehicle will be towed at the drivers expense.

All students, faculty and staff are welcome to use their lots while doing business in the Commons and are subject to the same three-hour customer parking limit.

Register Online

Online registration is NOW available!

Students may register online to receive a $15.00 discount.

The regular price of decals if you register in person or wait until after 9/4/2008, will be :
Resident Student $125.00 (with discount $110.00)
Day Student $75.00 (with discount $60.00)
Equestrian Student $100.00 (with discount $85.00)

The information that is need for registration of your vehicle is your plate number, plate state & make, model, color and year of your vehicle.

If you have out-of-state plates on your vehicle, you will have to fill out an additional form, the nonresident driver form, that asks for your insurance information and your VIN number from your vehicle. This form is required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to be filled out by every student that has out-of-state plates. If the form is not filled out, you may receive an excise tax bill from Massachusetts.

Parking-A Balancing Act

Did you know all the time and planning that goes into making parking spaces? It can become quite a balancing act to create spaces and be eco-friendly. Many communities are concerned about the negative impact on not providing enough parking for business (like our school) since it creates problems for their neighborhoods.

This type of situation does occur during events, banned students park on neighboring streets or park illegally at the village commons. Balancing student, employee and visitor parking is a great task that people take for granted.

So, next time you are mumbling under your breath that there isn't a parking space near your building please keep in mind the college tries to accommodate for vehicles being on campus. There is no simple, correct answer on how much parking is needed. Take advantage of the beautiful work that Facilities Management does for the college's grounds and take a brisk stroll past the wonderful landscape art they do.

Confusing Signs?

Sometimes things are forgotten about around here since everyone is extremely busy. Hey, we are only human! So, if you pull into a parking spot and the sign for that area just seems odd, not making sense or just too confusing, let us know!

At times, the markings on the ground are not changed to match the sign or vise versa right away.

So, if you park your vehicle in the morning and its a regular old sign and when you return to your vehicle and there is now a Handicap Sign and a ticket on your car, just let us know. Since its happened before, it could happen again.

Or you pull into a parking area and the arrow on the sign indicates Faculty/Staff parking on both sides of your parking spot, but there is also a service vehicles sign for the spot next to you which just makes it all confusing, give us a call.

It could be the spaces are in the process of being updated or things have been held up for one reason or another. But, we welcome any feedback about the parking areas.

Feel Free to Stop By!

If you ever have a question regarding parking, please do not hesitate to stop by or call the office. The Parking Office is open 8:30am-4pm, Monday-Friday (excluding college holidays, but we'll inform you when that will be) for your questions, concerns and other parking related issues.

If you would prefer to email the Parking Coordinator, she would love to hear from you. Her name is Charlyn Puza and you can email her at cpuza@mtholyoke.edu

Please Yeild!

Please yield to our fine furry friends here at MHC. I know it may be tough to do so on some days (you know, those mornings when they don't stop yakking away and you were up "studding" late), but the ducks and geese are a wonderful addition to our community. Just look how cute they are!

Register Your Bike!

Don't forget! Register your bicycle before it disappear. I don't mean its going to be stolen by us, just removed to make room for the incoming bikes in for the Fall.

If you are on campus and your bike has a bright orange tag on it, please stop by the office to register your bike. Its *FREE*.

If you are off campus for the summer and your bike was not registered before you left, it may have a tag on it. Call the Parking Office as soon as you can to discuss your options.

Bicycles will be very important in the upcoming months with the cost of fuel skyrocketing, so keep this in mind and don't let your bike disappear.

Where are all the Student parking areas?

Student parking areas can be found on the outskirts of campus. Some are even located near dorms for easy access. So, when you are choosing your dorm room keep that in mind if you need to park near the dorm for your activities.

If you chose to live in Ham/Mac, you can park in the student spaces right across the street or even in the Equestrian Center which is right next door. If you live in Abbey/Buck, you can park in the student spaces in the Gorse Lot. Also, if you chose to live in Pearsons Hall, there are those student spaces right near the dorm.

There are other spaces around campus too. There are a couple rows across from the main gate in Mary Lyon Lot & a row near the Betty Shabazz House.

But keep in mind, students may *NEVER* park in a faculty/staff space, even over the summer. So, keep in mind the proximity of spaces while choosing your dorm and schedule!

Parking On Local Streets

In an attempt to assist our residential neighbors, please be aware that there is no on-street parking on Town of South Hadley streets near the campus. Registered vehicles must use campus spaces.

This is to assist in keeping those spaces available for visitors of the surrounding residential neighborhoods. These spaces are along Church Street and around the houses that border the campus.

Ticket Collections

Beginning July 1, 2007 Municipal Management Agency will begin processing all unpaid tickets for unregistered vehicles as well as for employee vehicles. The goal of contracting with this company is to increase collection of unpaid tickets.

So if you receive a bill from this company, it is a legitimate contractor hired to process these tickets. Please follow the instructions on your notice for submitting payment to tickets.

A side benefit to this service is more flexibility in payment of tickets. Mount Holyoke College is only able to accept cash or check payments; MMA has a secure online payment site that allows you to use a credit or debit card. They also offer a ticket reminder service that can send you an email to remind you about tickets that are past the statement due date.

Please note that as part of this process, failure to pay tickets issued at Mount Holyoke College may result in having your vehicle registration become non-renewable.

Friday Parking Humor

Sam went to court and received a fine for parking his car in a "No Parking" zone.

"Do you have anything to say?" asked the Judge.

"Yes," he replied, "They shouldn't put up such misleading notices."

"What do you mean?" the Judge asked.

"The sign said, "Fine for Parking Here."

Tips To Keep Your Car Cool

While some of us cannot avoid driving to work (since a bike ride is just impossible), here are a few tips to help keep your car cool during the hot, humid days of summer (thanks to greencars.org).

• Park in the shade in summer to keep your car cool and minimize evaporation of fuel.
• If you have a garage, use it as much as possible to keep your car warm in winter and cool in summer.
• If you have to park outdoors, windshield shades can cut down on summer heat and help keep the frost off in the winter.

Also, I would suggest leaving your windows rolled down a smidge to let the warmer air, that would normally be trapped in your vehicle, be able to vent out so you do not receive the hot air slap in the face when you return to your vehicle at the end of the day.

Building Mascot

You've seen him strutting around campus, you've read about him in the MHC News, you've probably heard about him from your friends, now *YOU* can stop by and meet the building's mascot!

After you are done taking care of your parking business, make sure to visit,McDougal (or Doogie for short) downstairs in Auxiliary Services Office (in the one-card office section).

He absolutely loves visitors and likes to give kisses too. So, don't forget about him! You won't regret it!

Blanchard Green Parking Spots

Be advised that the Faculty/Staff parking spaces the run along the Skinner green behind Safford Hall will be unavailable until December 2008. The 2-hour visitor spaces will remain available that are near Skinner Hall.

The spaces are unavailable for the renovation construction for Safford Hall.

Bicycle Safety Tips

If you are one of the many employees or students who have been thinking about using your bike to get from point A to point B these days, here are some helpful tips to make your journey safer.

1. Wear a helmet. Yes, they might not be the ideal fashion accessory, but if could help you in the event an accident should occur.
2. Use lights or reflective gear. You might be able to see the cars around you, but the person driving might have a hard time seeing you at sunset or at night.
   
3. Never ride agaisnt the flow of traffic. This may be tough to avoid on campus, but off campus it should become habit since motorists aren't looking for bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road. Some state laws & common sense require that bicyclists drive like other vehicles.
4. Learn hand signals. Hand signals tell motorists and pedestrians what you intend to do since most bikes do not have blinkers . You should signal as a matter of courtesy and of self-protection.
5. Never ride with headphones. If you ride with headphones, you will not be able to hear what is occuring around you, like a horn honking, fire engine approching or any other hazords that are going on around you that you should avoid.
   

Check out Bicycle Safe for "10 ways not to get hit by cars". This guide assists the bicyclists with the correct ways of crossing intersections and other areas. The author is straight forward, but the tips could mean the difference of being hit or not by a vehicle.

When can I pick-up my 08-09 decal?

Students-

Students may start to register for their 2008-2009 decal for the academic year after 7/1/2008. If you register on-line, you will receive a $15 discount. The cost of decals are-
Resident Student $125 (with discount $110)
Day Student $75 (with discount $60)
Equestrian Center $100 (with discount $85)

The discount will expire when classes start in the fall.

If your vehicle is registered out-of-state you will need to fill out an additional form to let the state know you are not living in MA, just attending school, to avoid paying excise tax. We will provide that link for you online.

Employees-

The round one year decals expire 6/30/2008. If your term here at the college has not expired, please stop by the office to renew your decal.

The square decal with the picture of the main gate is still in effect. Those decals expire 6/30/2009, so we can all relax for one more year. No worries for the mad dash to renew!

Can I keep my car on campus for the summer?

If you are a student and will be on campus this summer, you may park your vehicle in a student parking area without a decal. Its our gift to you, *FREE* summer parking! But, please keep in mind......you cannot park in a Faculty/Staff space even in the summer. Those spaces are for employees who are here during the warmer months.

If you are a student but leaving for the summer, you may *NOT* leave your vehicle on campus while you are away. This is to avoid any issues that may arise with your vehicle. You may be thinking, what can happen? Well, if a water main breaks where your car is parked, we have no way of moving the vehicle except for towing it off campus - expensive! Or if a tree falls on your car, and you live in California....well, that's just an unpleasant thought. These are just a couple of the reasons we do not allow vehicle to be left unattended on campus.

Thanks for the question Erin! Keep 'em coming!

Helpful Parking Tip #5

Be respectful to the Parking Coordinator!

Helpful Parking Tip #4

Never double park!

Helpful Parking Tip #3

Read Signs Carefully!

Helpful Parking Tip #2

Do not park on campus lawns.

Helpful Parking Tips #1

Do not park blocking fire hydrants.

Reunion & Graduation Parking

Yeah! Its graduation weekend in 2 days! Of course there is reunion too!

So, with this in mind, please have your guests park in student parking. I know, I know.....they don't have a decal, but the student spaces are the best place for them to park without a pass.

Public Safety is aware of this agreement and will only ticket people who are parking in a handicap space without a placard, parked in a tow zone, fire lane or no parking area, and in a Faculty/Staff space on Friday.

Any questions, please call the office!

Parking Decals

Have you ever wondered how many vehicles are registered on campus? Well, you have come to right place. Below is a chart for the last few years from 2003-2006.

REGISTERED VEHICLES

PERMIT TYPE	2003	2004	2005	2006
STAFF/FACULTY	2016	2007	1401	1345
STUDENTS - RESIDENT	616	637	661	595
STUDENTS - DAY	79	86	71	94
EQUESTRIAN CENTER	11	18	10	2

Note that faculty/staff Decals are renewed every four years; during renewal years the numbers rise dramatically.

The parking office *NEVER* gives out more decals then spaces. We want to make sure there is a space for everyone, even if its not right outside your door. This is why we like to register your vehicle on campus (and so many other reasons too), to make sure the ratio of spaces & vehicles are working out they way they should.

Friday Funny!

Wanna hear a joke? Um, warning....it has nothing to do with parking!

Here is goes -

Q - What did the # Zero say to the # Eight?



A - Were did you get that belt?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Thanks Charlyn for sharing that comic relief!

Summer Parking

It may seem like it should be time for summer parking, but right now its still considered academic year parking.

What I mean by this is, the student decals are still in effect until 5/31/2008. After this, students can park in student parking areas without a decal or pass.
If you are a visitor, after 5/31/2008 you may park in a student space without a pass during business hours. You may still park in Faculty/Staff parking after 5pm - the next business day at 7am.

Employees must remain in Faculty/Staff spaces too!

Heading Home!

I'm sure you can't wait for exams to be done! You are packed & ready to leave, just waiting to turn in that last paper in or counting down the minutes until your scheduled exam will be held so you can head home.

Please keep in mind while you load your vehicle, that you do not block any roadways to keep them clear for emergency vehicles, in the event something should occur.

Also, make sure you are actively loading in a space & not parked for the day. If you have loaded your vehicle & still need to do your last minute errands, please return your vehicle to a student space when you are done.

Good Luck with exams and see you in the Fall! Unless you are a Senior, and good luck with everything you do beyond the MHC gates!

TGIF!

What a beautiful site! Enjoy your Friday and first day of exams! Don't forget to take a moment, breath the lovely scented air and remember its almost over!

Campus Map

If you need to show your visitors a campus map, here you go! This is the most updated map the campus has at this moment that shows parking areas along with buildings. You can click on a section of the map to zoom in too.....its pretty nifty!

Please keep in mind, it has not been updated to accomidate the new dorm that is being built, so keep that in mind! As soon as an updated map is available, we will hook you up!

Now that I have a ticket......

You received a ticket. You would like to appeal it, huh? Sure!

Any ticket you receive on campus is appealable, but keep in mind they are not always granted.

You have 7 days after receiving the parking ticket to appeal it. You may pick up an appeal form at the Parking Office or check out the website to locate the online appeal form.

On the form, provide your name and email address so you can be notified of the outcome along with your appeal reason. You will be notified by email if your appeal has been granted or denied. Once the decision has been made, there is no re-appeal process. The decision is final.

The appeal board is made up of staff & students from all over campus, the parking office staff is not part of the decision making. If you are interested in joining the board, please contact the Parking Coordinator, Charlyn Puza or leave a comment. We welcome anyone who is interested to join.

They Kept Records That Far Back?

Since you waited so patiently for last Thursdays answer asking what year was the first Parking Rules & Regulations where recorded, here is the answer.

It was 1936!

The Archives & Special Collections department has records dating from 1936-1996 for Parking & Public Safety that include the rules & regulations, snow removal guidelines and student vehicle information.

Wow! I bet you never knew that vehicles were brought on campus in the 30's! Its hard to imagine it, but it must have occurred.

Do you know the answer?

Lets test your MHC parking knowlege-

Can you guess when the first documentation of parking rules & regulations were recorded on campus?

a. 1979

b. 1936

c. 1924

d. 1981

If you think you know the answer, leave a comment! Check back Monday for the answer!

History of a Parking Ticket

In 1926 American merchants listed downtown traffic congestion as their most serious difficulty. Unenforced curbside parking and lack of off-street parking facilities were listed as the primary problems. Customers went where they could park.

During the great depression city revenues dwindled. With parking meters, however, a new source of municipal revenue was found. Not only did the nickels paid in by parkers accumulate, but so did the fines imposed for over parking. By 1944, American cities were generating some $10 million annually from parking meters alone. Soon after came meter maids, who were paid less than police officers, to increase city revenues.^{[citation needed]} Complex parking rules, restrictions and regulations are now an integral part of modern life and landscape.

Typically a ticket is placed on a vehicle when the owner or driver is not present. There is no place for a signature, and in California the registered owner cannot be charged with a misdemeanor or other criminal offense for ignoring a ticket. A letter will usually be sent prior to any punitive action. Most jurisdictions, however, will have sanctions such as refusal to allow renewal of license plates if the owner of the vehicle has unpaid parking tickets. In some jurisdictions, such as New York City, a vehicle may be towed if it has overdue parking fines exceeding a specified balance. In many jurisdictions, such as Boston, vehicles with numerous outstanding parking citations are subject to booting.

Extra Parking Lot?

Will it ever come to this here at MHC?

Student Summer Parking

Summer is coming! I know, its hard to image with finals approaching quickly that summer is right around the corner, but it is!

So with this in mind, here is where you should park your vehicle during the summer-

I am a student and I will be here during the summer, where can I park?
You may park in the designated student parking spaces. Your decal will expire 5/31/2008, but you are still allowed to park in the student areas. Do NOT park in a Faculty/Staff space since students may never park in these spaces.

I am a student and I will NOT be here during the summer, where can I leave my car?
You may *NOT* leave your vehicle on campus while you are away from campus over the summer. If vehicles appear to be inactive, it will be removed at the owners expense from campus. Please use a local storage facility or bring your vehicle home while away for the summer.

Parking at the Equestrian Ctr

We hear a common question here at the Parking Office about the Equestrian Center parking lot. Well, I'm here to help out and answer a couple of those questions here. So, here we go......


I have a resident student decal, can I park at the Equ Ctr?
Yes, only in the student parking area along the hill. The resident student decal allows you to park in the designated student spaces at this location.
If I have an Equ Ctr Student Decal, where can I park?
You may park at the Equ Ctr student spaces *ONLY*. The decal is only good for this parking lot and a cheaper alternative to the all resident decal.

Please be aware that there is an employee parking lot at the bottom of the hill for the staff that work at this location. We would appreciate students remain out of these spaces and to help avoid a ticket since students may *NEVER* park in a faculty/staff parking space.