Cherish Lake | Contributing Writer
We all know the struggle of driving all over campus for a decent parking spot, but to see a perfect spot taken by a booted car is repugnant.
Dust, handprints and unsavory images are decorated on the vehicles, brutalized by failed artists. The absurd amount of abandoned cars is out of hand and nothing is being done about it.
On-campus students at FIU have to pay for parking since it’s included in their tuition, regardless of whether or not they have a car or will be parking on campus.
Since we are forced to pay for it, you would think that FIU would want to make sure every student has a chance to find a good and close parking spot—but commuter school FIU doesn’t care.
The reason they boot the cars rather than tow them could be because booting them is cheaper. That would explain the lack of action taken on the cars in violation of FIU’s parking policy.
FIU wants to spend as little money as possible at the cost of their paying student’s concerns— no surprise there.
This concern over booted cars doesn’t come from nowhere. FIU has been prioritizing money over its students for a while.
Despite the housing crisis, FIU admits more and more freshmen each year, kicking out their upperclassmen without caring about where they might end up. An increase in freshmen means a decrease in the number of spots available and these booted cars aren’t helping.
When I asked the Parking and Transportation Customer Care chat why they boot cars instead of towing them, they left the chat!
Luckily, I was able to talk with another representative of Parking and Transportation, and they informed me that FIU only tows cars when the car is parked in a restricted area. The thing is, FIU has the authority to tow according to the University Traffic and Parking Regulations document.
FIU boots cars that have been “left for more than three (3) consecutive days without prior approval from the Department of Parking, Sustainability and Transportation, or which are “apparently abandoned” per the parking and rules regulations.
So why aren’t they towing the cars that have been collecting dust for years?
If I have to pay for parking, then I don’t want potential parking spots of mine to be taken over by vehicles that never move.
If FIU cared about its students and their money, they would’ve chosen a better option to make people pay for their parking violations rather than booting cars and leaving their students to deal with it.
Booted cars are a nuisance to the student body and prevent students from accessing parking that they pay for. FIU shouldn’t make students pay for inconveniences that could be fixed.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Booting cars like this is wholly unconstitutional. Anyone whose vehicle has been booted should talk to a local attorney who knows the law. Since FIU is a State University, it can be sued for due process violations under 42 U.S.C. 1983, for depriving vehicle owners of the use of their vehicles, without due process.