Jessica Sewing | Collegio Reporter

The new parking passes had most returning students wondering about the sudden change in style. Mike McCracken, director of university police and parking services, says that the new sticker was a good option to replace the old hanging placard. He says that the sticker is more economic, meaning it costs less to produce.

Another driving force that resulted in the change was the safety issue that the placards caused. McCracken says that there were complaints about the obstruction of the driver’s view from the old parking pass. The old parking passes stated that they should be removed while driving, but he says most students did not do so. McCracken says that the new sticker is far enough out of the way that it does not pose a problem.

The new adhesive Pittsburg State University parking permits.

McCracken says that the passes have received praise. He says the only issue he has seen is from some students who are having trouble transferring them from vehicle to vehicle.

Some students, like Michael Alldritt, have found it difficult to remove.

“I drive different cars and I need to be able to take the pass off and put it in another car,” said Alldritt, junior in mechanical engineering.

According to McCracken, the passes were actually tested before the official PSU parking passes were distributed. He says that the adhesive was dipped in water and was found to still stick, and that they should be able to stand up to the harsh Kansas weather.

Katy Porter says that she prefers the new passes. She says it’s much easier to keep track of now.

“I think they’re nifty,” said Porter, sophomore in social work. “I don’t have to worry about losing it because it just sticks to the window instead of hanging off my rearview mirror.”

McCracken says that since the passes just stick on, students are less likely to forget to hang up their passes, which will result in fewer tickets.

The passes might be different, but the parking rules remain the same. Students who live on campus receive orange permits and can park in either orange or brown lots, while students who live off campus buy a brown permit and can only park in brown lots.

McCracken says that the parking office sells passes to any and all students who want one. He says that at any given time there are enough parking spaces available to students who are on campus. However, they aren’t always the close spots that students want. Porter says that she is always able to find a spot somewhere.

“I really don’t think the parking situation is really that bad,” Porter said. “It sucks to walk from the back of the brown lot by the stadium to Russ Hall, but it is better than having to walk a mile like at some other campuses.”