NEWS
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net ]
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Public Safety issues tickets on public streets UP students are ticketed by Public Safety for parking in the neighborhood
The above maps indicate the off-campus ‘no parking’ zones, enforced from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. on school days. Laura Frazier Staff Writer frazier13@up.edu Two weeks ago, junior Robert McDonald parked his car on North Fiske Avenue. As he was heading to class, a neighborhood resident stood in front of McDonald’s car. The man was upset that McDonald had parked in front of his house. After explaining that he had the right to park on a public street, McDonald went to class. The next day, McDonald parked in the same spot, but this time he came back from class to find a $50 ticket on his windshield from the Department of Public Safety. “I’ve parked off campus since day one and never had a problem,” McDonald said. McDonald was upset the ticket was from Public Safety, as he was parked on a public street. He immediately went to the Department of Public Safety, where he spoke with one of the administrative assistants. “I complained then about how Public Safety has absolutely no right to gain revenue off a cityowned street,” he said. But according to Public Safety Director Harold Burke-Sivers, it does. Because students are required to follow University policies as a condition of enrollment, they can be ticketed for breaking the parking regulations set by the University, which includes the neighborhood “no parking” zones. However, McDonald called Portland Police Bureau and inquired if Public Safety was allowed to issue tickets for parking on public roads. “I asked them specifically what authority UP has to ticket. They said ‘none,’” he said. But the difference is the ticket from Public Safety is a private fine imposed by the University, like a library fine or any penalty for violating UP policy. It does not have the legal weight a citation
from PPB would have. PPB told McDonald the issue seemed to be more of a “personality clash” between himself and the neighbor, and that he should park elsewhere. Sophomore Aubrey Wilmes was also ticketed for parking on a public street. Wilmes was parked on North Fiske Avenue in September and returned to her car to find a $50 fine. There was no sign telling her she was not allowed to park there. “I didn’t realize it was an unauthorized parking area,” she said. “They didn’t tell you that.” That was the first time Wilmes was ticketed, and she ended up paying the fine. McDonald chose to petition his fine at UP’s traffic court, and did not have to pay, but he was still found guilty of parking in an unauthorized zone. He was informed of the decision through an e-mail. According to Burke-Sivers, the “no parking” zones are part of a neighborhood agreement. The agreement was set in place about 10 years ago, when neighbors began to complain about the excessive number of student cars parked in the area. “The neighbors can’t park close to their residences,” BurkeSivers said. “It’s not in the whole neighborhood, but the area defined in parking regulations.” There are two segments of the neighborhood where UP restricts parking by students and staff. One is north of Willamette Boulevard and south of North Princeton Street between North Olin Avenue and North Wall Avenue, and the other is North Warren Street and North Willamette Lane between North Monteith Avenue and North Wall Avenue. Students may not park there between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on school days. Monitoring off-campus parking is not unique to UP. For example, Concordia University and Lewis and Clark College restrict student parking in their
respective neighborhoods. The main purpose behind the agreement is to maintain a good relationship with the community. Burke-Sivers said neighbors occasionally call to complain about students who are parked in the restricted areas. “It’s just about a livability issue,” he said. “The neighborhood seems to think it’s helping.” Holly Demers, who lived on North Portsmouth Avenue for 35 years before recently moving, thinks that the real parking concern is during game days for the Pilots. “If you ask any of us, it’s the games,” she said. “It’s not so much students as parents who are attending too.” According to Burke-Sivers, the “no parking” zone does not apply for events and games. However, Demers commented that UP does inform the neighbors about those occasions.
“They send out the dates of the games,” she said. “Its kind of like a pre-warning. That’s how the neighbors are supposed to take it.” Demers’ main concern is students’ cars blocking driveways, and the lack of visibility due to overcrowded streets. But she also said students are compliant when asked to move. “Generally they are pretty down-to-earth kids,” she said. Demers says she expects UP makes sure students are aware of the parking rules. Burke-Sivers said Public Safety issues a pamphlet explaining the parking and traffic regulations to all students who sign up for an on-campus parking pass. It can also be picked up at the Public Safety office or found online. Burke-Sivers added that students are welcome to call Public Safety anytime if they need clarification.
Images from Google maps
Though it is stated in UP’s traffic regulations that cars can be towed, Burke-Sivers explains that cars are towed only if they are assumed to be abandoned and Public Safety is unable to contact the owner. Burke-Sivers said they try not to ticket students immediately. “The first offense we typically treat like a warning,” he said. If the student ignores the fine, the amount is doubled and they are given another grace period to pay. If it is ignored again, a boot may be placed on a student’s car until the fine is paid. If the fine remains at the end of the year, it is turned over to student accounts. Burke-Sivers also said they have no way of knowing if a parked car is a student’s vehicle. But if they do accidentally ticket a neighborhood resident’s car, the person can bring in proof of See Parking, page 4
Bryan Brenize | THE BEACON
Students and staff are not allowed to park on the designated areas of public streets. When students enroll at UP, they agree, by default, to follow University policies, which includes the neighborhood “no parking” zones.
NEWS
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Theft of Naked Juice causes splash Luke Riela Staff Writer Riela14@up.edu Are you puzzled to see the Naked Juices sharing the same cooler as the brownies, instead of with all the other beverages in The Commons? Because thieves have been taking advantage of the beverages’ previous location, Bon Appétit put the $3.75 drinks out of reach of those unwilling to pay. Last Friday, Naked Juice returned to The Commons after Bon Appétit removed them for a week. “We held them until we could find a method to reduce theft,” Kenneth Bong, Bon Appétit dining manager, said. Before the Naked Juices were moved, Bong said a considerable amount of the beverages were stolen from the cooler across from the salad bar. “We were actually losing money off the Naked Juices because of thefts,” Bong said. According to Kirk Mustain, general manager of Bon Appétit, the few students who steal inconvenience the many who
do not. “It’s not fair to the students who are actually paying,” he said. Bong agreed. “It’s not everybody that steals, but it hurts everybody,” Bong said. During the week The Commons stopped selling Naked Juices, some students became irritated. “This takes options out of The Commons that already lacks options,” sophomore Jordan LaBrec said. However, the problems with thefts extend past Naked Juice.
“Other products are being stolen. Naked Juices are just the easiest to track,” Bong said. The new positioning of the Naked Juice is just one of the measures being taken to decrease theft in The Commons. Bong said that Bon Appétit employees have begun randomly checking for student receipts. In addition, a receipt for grill food items, including hamburgers and fries, must be shown in order to receive the food. At the beginning of the year, there weren’t many precautions taken to limit
theft. “Starting out, it was just the honor system,” Bong said. According to Mustain, theft occurs more often in The Commons than in The Cove due to more blind spots in The Commons. “In The Commons, there are just so many areas to duck around,” he said. According to Bong, those who steal items, like Naked Juice, from The Commons will typically throw it into a backpack or just walk away with it in their hands. The people who steal from The Commons who aren’t students receive standard punishment, according to Bong. “If someone from off campus gets caught with theft, we press charges,” Bong said. However, in the case of the students, a different penalty is implemented. “We pull their ID and make a copy to send to Natalie Shank,” Bong said. Natalie Shank, assistant director of Residence Life, decides how students should repay the UP community for violating the rules. She emphasized that
PARKING: Students upset Continued from page 3 residency, such as a utility bill, and the fine will be dropped. If parents or visitors to the university are accidentally ticketed, they can explain the situation to Public Safety and the fine will be dismissed. Students are held accountable for paying fines, as the license plate numbers are attached to names in a statewide database that Public Safety can use for verification, Assistant Director of Public Safety Steve Watson said. According to Rowena Bramlette, UP director of budgets
every punishment is assigned individually. “Everything is done on a caseby-case basis,” Shank said. According to Shank, punishment for theft may include giving back to the community, writing an essay or some sort of probation. There is no specific penalty that is applied for stealing a Naked Juice, for instance, since it is dependent on the details of the theft. “Theft is something that can be very serious,” Shank said, “but there is a difference between stealing a computer and stealing a Naked Juice.” Bong stated that students shouldn’t feel uncomfortable about reporting thefts. “It’s cool that people approach us, and it’s important that they feel comfortable doing so,” he said. With the Naked Juice’s relocation, among other security changes to The Commons, Bong hopes that less time will be devoted to preventing theft. “We shouldn’t have to be watching over people, we should be looking over the stations,” he said. Photos by Kevin Kadooka | THE BEACON
for Financial Affairs, the money from parking fines goes into a general Public Safety fund. “We don’t break it down into how much this fine generates,” she said. “It’s just looked at as total revenue gain. It goes back to Public Safety.” For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, Public Safety made approximately $4,700 from traffic fines. Although Public Safety does make some money from parking fines, Burke-Sivers said that’s not why they issue tickets. “We are not aggressively going out,” he said. “We are here to serve students, not raise money.”
The UP Public Safety Report
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1. Nov. 14, 12:10 a.m. - Public Safety received a noise complaint from a neighbor of a group of students gathering in the street at N. Syracuse and N. Haven. Officers located the students and asked them to keep the noise down. 2. Nov. 14, 12:17 a.m. - Public Safety received a noise complaint of students on N. Jordan and N. Oberlin. Upon arrival officers could not locate any disturbance.
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3. Nov. 14, 10:44 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a medical call at Mehling Hall. Upon arrival, the officer immediately requested a 911 medical response. Students had ingested mushrooms and were vomiting. The students were not transported but were checked by medical personnel and allowed to return to their rooms. Investigation of the source continues by Public Safe and the Portland Police Bureau. 4. Nov. 10, 12:24 p.m. - Public Safety responded to The Commons for a theft by an individual. Investigation was turned over to Judicial Department. 5. Nov. 9, 9:45 p.m. - A student reported his bike stolen from the back deck of his house in the 5000 block of N. Willamette. The bike was not registered with Public Safety. A theft report was taken.