Louis Olson knows the difference between thinking your car is stolen and realizing your car has been towed is a very fine line.

Olson, 20, an Iowa State freshman in aerospace engineering, parked his car in Lot 63 at ISU, the reserve lot for Maple-Willow-Larch residence halls, from Aug. 24 to Oct 24, with a permit he thought was valid. On Oct. 24, Olson’s gray Toyota Camry was towed by Bud’s Service Center, via instructions from the ISU Department of Public Safety.

“I went outside to take my car somewhere and I couldn’t find it,” Olson said. “Ironically, DPS was issuing tickets out in the lot, so I stopped and asked the student officer if he had seen my car. I was pretty confused and upset. A couple of minutes later he told me that my car had been towed.”

Olson was then escorted to DPS and confronted with an even bigger surprise: criminal charges for forgery of a parking permit and unauthorized use of a parking permit.

“I qualified to have a Stadium Lot permit, but I wanted to have a Lot 63 permit,” Olson said. “It was almost the beginning of the school year and I knew that they would start ticketing soon so I told some people that I was looking for a permit.”

The word spread on Olson’s floor, and a couple of days later, a man offered him a Lot 63 permit for $20. Olson purchased the permit and used it for three months before DPS noticed the inconsistency of dates on the permit.

Connie Colle, technical services manager of DPS’s parking division, said Olson’s car was towed because the permit appeared to have been altered from the date of Sept. 15, 1995 to Dec. 15, 1995. Colle also said the situation could be easily interpreted as a student just trying to get by with a fake permit for one more semester before graduating.

Colle said the most common forms of parking-permit alteration are the change of dates and the change of parking areas.

A victim?

Olson said he was unaware that his permit was invalid. He said he was a “victim of a lack of information.”

“Since I am from Wisconsin, I didn’t receive a whole lot of information on parking,” Olson said. “During orientation, I was only here for 1 1/2 days, so I didn’t figure out much about it. I just assumed that I could take care of a spot when I got here. Once it was too late, I just bought the permit from that guy.”

Olson filed an appeal with the parking division for the forgery charge. It was granted. The remaining charge of unauthorized use of a parking permit was sent to the Dean of Students Office for disciplinary action.

Olson paid $52 in tickets and about $30 in towing fees for the offense.

“I don’t have a problem with the policies,” Olson said. “I have a problem with the way they were handled.”

Olson said one of the administrators analyzing the possible disciplinary actions against him asked, “If someone offered to sell you a bridge, would you buy it?”

The final blow to Olson was delivered when he found out the permit he had bought had belonged to his roommate, Martin Welsh. The permit was a temporary Lot 63 permit.

When Welsh received his official Lot 63 permit in the mail, he threw away the old temporary one. Olson said someone dug through the trash and found the permit, altered it and then sold it to him.

“I trust my roommate. He was one of the first people I met here at ISU,” Olson said. “I really don’t think he tried to scam me.”

Not returning

Olson said he will not be returning to ISU in the spring. One of the main factors in his decision was his experience with the DPS parking division. He said he may return in the fall.

Colle warned other ISU students of the permit theft and resale problem.

As Olson’s case shows, improper parking can be expensive. A normal parking ticket at ISU runs $5, $12 or $15, based on location and time.

If a student’s car is towed, the student must also clear all outstanding university fees, except tuition, before the vehicle is returned. DPS informs a student by letter if the student’s car had accumulated $100 or more in unpaid parking tickets.

Confusion

Students commonly confuse improper parking with illegal parking, Conard said.

Illegal parking is defined as parking any place on campus other than those areas designated for parking and are identified by signs. This would include fire lanes, fire hydrants and yellow-painted curbs. Illegally parked vehicles may be issued a citation and or impounded (towed).

Improper parking is defined as parking incorrectly in designated parking areas that are identified by signs.

Marcia Clendeden, parking transportations supervisor of DPS, said unfortunately more improperly parked vehicles are towed than illegally parked ones.

“Students are more aware of what is illegal, therefore they take extreme safety precautions,” Clendeden said. “They are much quicker in and out of buildings when they park illegally. It is harder to catch them since they are already aware of their faulty behavior.”

Clendeden said many students take the risk of parking improperly because they think they can get away with it.

“Students should expect the maximum penalty when parking illegally or improperly,” Clendeden said. “In other words: Expect to be towed.”

Clendeden, who makes the decision whether particular vehicles are towed or just ticketed said if a particular lot is in demand and there are improperly parked vehicles, those vehicles have a better chance of getting towed than any other improperly parked vehicles.

Warning preferred

Clendeden said DPS would prefer to give “warning” ticket to an improperly parked vehicle before towing it, but sometimes it essential to permit holders that a spot is freed up.

“We generally try to avoid a high cost for the students,” Clendeden said.

Conard said DPS is not the cruel, unfeeling organization students make it out to be.

“Helpful advice can sometimes be misinterpreted by students as intimidation. A comment like, ‘If you park here again, you will be towed,’ is just a friendly reminder not to take certain risks,” Conard said. “We are given the universally hated ‘watchdog police’ role.”

Conard explained DPS generally likes to help students and employees if they are made aware of a problem or situation that needs attention.

“We’d like to encourage students to approach us with complaints, suggestions, etc.,” Conard said.

More nontraditional students a problem

Colle said most of ISU’s current problems with parking lots result from the increase in nontraditional students.

“The typical student doesn’t exist anymore,” Colle said. “There is constantly a need for more spots and we just don’t have the space on this campus.”

It is virtually impossible to be fair to everyone in distribution of parking permits, Colle said.

Suggestions offered

Some students, like Mike Landis, a freshman who had his car towed from Lot 63 on Nov. 20, have some suggestions.

Landis said DPS should install “big, fat clarifying signs” stating that vehicles can be towed at owner’s expense.

“Private properties and businesses state the facts, why can’t ISU?” he said.

“If I would have known that I risked being towed in that lot, it definitely would have changed my attitude and my behavior,” Landis said. “Paying a ticket and being towed are two different ballparks.”