Tired of shelling out big bucks and little lies because of those white tickets flapping on the windshield?

Things could change. Iowa State is planning to study the campus’ parking needs, and is asking the campus community for suggestions.

A written survey and focus group sessions, conducted by Rich & Associates from Springfield, Mich., will address ISU’s parking problems during the week of Sept. 11.

“There are a number of issues about parking that need to be addressed. We want to look at options to improve parking with construction or relocating,” said Rick Fox, a landscape architect from Facilities and Planning Management.

On Wednesday, Sept. 13, students in 40 graduate and undergraduate courses will be asked to fill out a survey seeking their opinions on the ISU parking system.

Because student addresses change frequently, the survey will be conducted in classes and will attempt to reach 1,200 students, Fox said.

“This is a random sampling of the student body to get a well-rounded view of the students opinions,” he said.

A faculty and staff sample will be mailed a survey asking about the use of parking lots during the day, driving patterns and the overall satisfaction with campus parking, Fox said.

“We are very interested in the input from staff and especially students because they are the future at Iowa State,” said Kerry Dixon, a Facilities and Planning consumer relations specialist.

Construction of new buildings has swallowed up parking across campus, Fox said. In 1991, a 25-year campus master plan was created. The plan proposed potential sites for a new parking ramp, Fox said.

“In a short amount of time things can change,” Fox said. A site for a parking ramp will be addressed in a series of meetings.

The consultants will lead 12 focus group sessions for students, faculty and staff to express positive and negative opinions about the parking system. The groups will meet Sept. 11, 12 and 14.

The focus groups will include representatives from the Iowa State Center, the Athletic Department, residence halls, the Faculty Senate and Facilities Planning and Management.