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July 12, 2007

Parking

Office says buying permits online more convenient

Students can avoid long lines and add the fee to their tuition using MyMav.

Story by: Diana Golobay

The Shorthorn staff

The Shorthorn: Kyle Clothier

Parking Office manager Mary Mabry advises students to get parking permits online to avoid long lines at the beginning of the semester.

There’s a reason Parking Office manager Mary Mabry has a Staples “Easy Button” on her desk.

Though she said it doesn’t calm the nerves of anyone sitting in her office with a tow order in hand, it accurately describes the process for ordering parking permits online.

Mabry wonders why only 20 percent of fall enrollees have taken advantage of the point-and-click process. She explained that if last year’s lines to the office are any indication, students waiting until the last minute may encounter long delays.

“The long lines normally start around the first week prior to school starting and through the first three weeks of school,” she said. “I have no idea how many people were in line last year. I just know that when they came up front and we asked them how long they waited, the average was two hours.”

Students wishing to avoid the lines should go to the MyMav Student Service Center and find the Request Parking icon on the right side. Several checkable boxes include garage access and the option to pick up a parking permit in person.

The office opens its doors from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 23 to accommodate last-minute purchasers. Mabry said the office plans to have a satellite location at the Mav Express Office. Students and faculty who request permits online can pick them up there Aug. 13-24.

Mabry said the Parking Office has offered online permit requests since 1992, and she hopes the MyMav system will increase convenience. She said students can add the permit cost to their tuition charges. She advised any student who doesn’t receive a requested permit by the second week of school to visit the office for a temporary permit.

Assistant police chief Rick Gomez also advised students, faculty and staff members to take advantage of the online service and request that permits be mailed to their home addresses.

“That would definitely cut down on the long lines we have each semester of students wanting to buy parking permits,” he said.

Software engineering junior Brian Hankins had a different idea for beating long lines. Though fall classes don’t start until Aug. 27, he went to the office Wednesday to purchase his permit.

“I’m trying to get everything done so I don’t have to come up here three or four more times,” Hankins said.