Is it just me or does Quinnipiac security take pride in ticketing and towing student cars?
Let’s venture way, way back to February 10, 2006. The time was 10:19 a.m. and I had just discovered a ticket on my windshield for parking in a prohibited lot. I am a senior and had parked my vehicle in the Pine Grove Lot, having had to meet with my professor quickly in CLA3. These meetings occurred maybe once every 2-3 weeks and when they did, the guard always obliged, happily writing me a pass and instructing me not to park in faculty spots. He always saw as I exited the lot when finished, always within the time span promised. He never had a problem with this.
Today, however, there was no guard at the booth. Driving in I figured this might be a problem. Many others drove through the gate as well. I drove to the Pine Grove Lot and parked in a non-faculty spot in the back (with at least 15 other spots open.) I met my professor and returned to my car.
The ticket I found on my window bothered me since I would have had a pass had there been a guard present, but ultimately, the ticket was not the end of the world. Let’s be honest – paying $10 will not kill me.
However, as I got in my car to leave, the guard who presumably had ticketed me arrived back with some friends from Wheeler’s. It was now about 10:30 a.m., and I was just finishing cleaning some lovely bird remnants off my car. The guard scolded me for parking here and told me never to come back, voluntarily taking himself out of consideration for the Quinnipiac Welcoming Committee. I argued that there was no guard present when I drove in today and parking here had always been allowed previously. He thought for a few seconds and told me again not to come back. Angered, I left.
While driving through the gate, the guard, who was now at the booth, stopped me. He asked if I was the one who was ticketed, seemingly in a bad mood already. I responded that I was. We talked for a few seconds and I told him my story. He told me they had been waiting for at least a half hour for the tow truck. Funny, since the ticket was written at 10:17 a.m. and it was now 10:32 a.m. But hey, that’s close enough to a half hour, right?
He told me he had spoken to me previously and again told me not to come back. Sure he had spoken to me before, when he had allowed me access into the lot. It seemed likely a game of CYA was being played.
Regardless, and as I mentioned before, it will not kill me to pay the $10 fine. But, what is the purpose of ticketing me and then towing me 20 minutes later? Does security just
want to rub it in? Would I have found the ticket when I retrieved my car from Wheeler’s, making a bad situation worse?
Further, why couldn’t Quinnipiac security have done their job in a nicer, more respectful manner? Anyone who knows me knows I’m a pretty nice guy, so why at 10 o’clock in the morning do these guys act like I’m copping an attitude with them? Why couldn’t a little common sense be used? All it would have taken is a little courtesy and respect to not escalate the situation, but both were nowhere to be found. If both guards had explained the issues to me calmly, they would have gotten their point across perfectly. We know you’re big, tough security guards, but acting like you do makes us respect you less. As Kyle Sullivan mentioned in his commentary piece in last week’s edition, respect goes both ways. Other school departments don’t seem to have a problem with this – what makes it so tough for Quinnipiac security?
So now, I am resigned to either walking from the North Lot to CLA3 or parking in Hogan and taking the shuttle both ways to get back to my car, all for a quick meeting. Seems a little silly, doesn’t it? But there’s no way around it, since I was told by two guards today not to come back. Way to go, guys!
But the biggest question of all: why do birds always let loose over my car when there are so many to choose from?
