by Terri Pickard
The first time I set foot on the beautiful campus of Eastern New Mexico University, I was both excited and nervous. I was there to fill out my new employee packet. I had just been hired to fill a position as a Distance Education facilitator at one of ENMU’s off campus ITV sites. I parked my car in one of the parking lots near the Administration building, and went inside to fill out all the necessary paperwork to become an ENMU employee. I was still excited and in a very good mood when I finally finished all my paperwork several hours later. However, my mood plummeted as I approached my car. I had received a ticket. I was puzzled as I had no idea what I had done wrong. I noticed the police department was located across the street so I left my car where it was and walked over to see if they could shed some light on this ticket.
The lady at the front desk explained that I had parked in a lot that required a parking permit. I showed them the paperwork showing that I was brand new to campus, and unaware of the parking regulations. They were kind enough to wave the ticket, but told me that it was well posted, and I needed to pay more attention. While very thankful they had waved the ticket, this still frustrated me. As I walked back across the street I looked for a sign, but still did not see one. I finally gave up and left the lot. As I was leaving I stopped at the stop sign and to my amazement found a well posted sign that you don’t see until you are leaving the lot.
Now, about ten years later, as I attend ENMU as a student I am still bothered by this and have discovered most of ENMU’s parking lots are all posted in this same way. Wouldn’t it make more sense to post the signs so that you can see it before you enter the parking lot, not as you leave, after you have already received a ticket? I would like to offer a low cost solution to this. Simply unbolt the signs from the post and bolt it on the opposite side of the same post. By doing so the signs can be seen from the street and unsuspecting visitors to our wonderful campus. I believe our visitors should get a positive first impression, not a ticket.