Students this year are frustrated once again by the so-called parking system here on campus and the inability to find appropriate spots to accommodate them without receiving a ticket.

On campus, there are parking lots reserved for residents, commuters and employees. The residential parking lots are then divided in four separate lots: east, west, central and The Village. In order to park on campus, drivers must receive a permit from the parking office and may only park in the designated lots.

That said, this rule is hardly ever followed. Many students complain about the trouble of finding a parking spot, especially in Residential East. Within this zone, there are five parking lots that are almost always full.

Parking lots get so cluttered that students have resorted to parking on the grass in some parking lots, after being unable to find a space. When students do this, however, they receive a parking ticket, costing the student $20 per ticket.

These tickets can be a nuisance to anyone who only parks for a minute or two, or even to park during a class. For students who return Sunday night or Monday morning from being home, having no place to park can cause severe problems, especially if in a rush to get to class.

University Police and the Parking Office are well aware of this issue, it is a recurring problem that happens every year. The issue began with the college allowing freshmen to have vehicles on campus, where most colleges do not. Since no other limits exist to cap the number of parking permits granted, upperclassmen deserve some sort of priority.

Not all students have classes at the same time. The Parking Office seems to think that students with morning classes leave immediately after, freeing all sorts of space. This assumption is far detached from reality.

Residential students often go days without moving their car, traveling by foot to class then back to the halls for food and sleep. University Police stated that they are trying to be more lenient in some areas this year, though students are still receiving tickets regularly despite the lack of space.

Commuters often will park within the residential lots or the employee lots because they do not want to park even further away from campus. Commuters complain that the parking lots designed for them are not convenient enough for them.

Whatever the case, parking on campus is a hassle. Something needs to change to make life easier for both the residents who pay to park on campus and the commuters who live in Oswego.