Traffic and Parking Regulations 2011 - 2012

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REVOCATION OF PARKING PRIVILEGES

Southern Miss considers parking a privilege that may be revoked temporarily or permanently for justifiable reasons. Notice will be given to individuals whose privileges have been revoked. Written notice will be sent to the individual’s address of record with the university. Violations of this notice will result in immediate booting or towing.

1. DEFINITIONS

1.1 DECAL is a nontransferable windshield sticker, bumper sticker, metal tag, or other marking normally used to identify the owners of vehicles or the vehicle itself and the permitted zone.

1.2 HANGTAG is a portable parking permit identifying the individual and zone.

1.3 PARKING PERMIT is a written authorization for an individual to park a vehicle on the campus in a specified parking zone. Parking permits will be valid for one year and will expire August 15 of each calendar year. Exceptions: Retiree parking permits are non-expiring and Honor Club parking permits expire every two years.

1.4 FACULTY MEMBER is anyone who is employed full-time or part-time by The University of Southern Mississippi, whether under contract or not, for the purpose of teaching or instructing students or anyone working on the campus in a faculty capacity. This does not include graduate assistants, graduate research assistants, or graduate fellowship students.

1.5   STAFF MEMBER is anyone who is employed full-time, part-time, or temporarily by Southern Miss to perform services other than instructing students.

1.6 STUDENT is anyone, other than faculty or staff members, who is enrolled at Southern Miss for the purpose of receiving instruction.

1.7 MOTOR VEHICLE is any automobile, truck, motorcycle or motorbike.

1.8 VEHICLES are all motorized devices used for transporting of people and materials, including, but not limited to, cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc.

1.9 VISITOR is any person, other than a student, faculty/staff member or employee who parks a vehicle on the campus on infrequent occasions.  Visitors may obtain visitor permits and park in legal parking spaces.  Visitors who park frequently on the campus must purchase parking permits and are subject to all regulations herein.

1.10 PROPER DISPLAY of a parking permit is the driver’s responsibility.  Once a parking permit is issued, it shall be displayed in accordance with the instructions printed on the permit (see vehicle registration Section 2, subparagraph 2.6) the instructions printed on the permit. Vehicles should display only one type of permit at one time. Decals for motorcycles will be affixed in accordance with (See vehicle registration Section 2, subparagraph 2.6.)

1.11  BOOT, also referred to as an “automobile immobilizer,” is a mechanical device that can be affixed to any wheel on a motor vehicle for the purpose of temporarily immobilizing the vehicle.

1.12 METERED PARKING is limited-time parking that is regulated by a parking meter.

1.13 BICYCLE is a light two-wheeled/three-wheeled vehicle with a steering handle, saddle and pedals.

1.14 MOTORCYCLE is a two-wheeled/three-wheeled automotive vehicle.

2. VEHICLE REGISTRATION

2.1 Faculty/staff and students are preferably asked to register online at www.usm.edu/parking before obtaining a parking permit.

2.2 Faculty/staff, employees and students, full- time or part-time, who operate a motor vehicle on university-controlled property, regularly or occasionally, will be required to purchase a DPM parking permit. Any vehicle parked on university-controlled property must display a valid DPM parking permit.

2.3 Faculty/staff and students with permanent or temporary disabilities who may require handicapped parking access will be required to submit a copy of a state-issued handicapped placard to the Department of Parking Management (DPM). Each individual will be required to register and purchase a university handicapped parking permit to accompany the state handicapped placard.

2.4 Visitors will obtain and display visitor permits. All visitors must show a valid driver’s license to obtain a visitor pass.

2.5 All faculty/staff and students will be allowed one (one day) temporary parking pass per semester at no cost. A valid driver’s license will be required for issuance. For additional days, a temporary pass can be purchased. (See vehicle registration Section 2, subparagraph 2.19.)

2.6 Hangtags and decals are valid only when properly displayed. Display the hangtag unobstructed from the rearview mirror with the university logo facing outward. Decals must be permanently affixed, using only the permit’s adhesive, to the inside of the front windshield on the passenger side in the lower right-hand corner. Motorcycle permits must be affixed to the rear fender. If this is not possible, the decal must be affixed where it can be easily seen.

2.7 Only those parking permits issued by The University of Southern Mississippi Parking Management, Gulf Coast, and Gulf Coast Research Laboratory campuses will be honored.

2.8 Faculty/staff members, full-time or part-time, will be issued only one parking permit. (Must show valid Southern Miss faculty/staff I.D.) Special accommodations will be made for permanently open vehicles where a hangtag is not practical. Dependents, such as students, spouses, and student office staff employees, are not authorized to use faculty/staff parking permits.

2.9 Students who are full-time or part-time will be issued one decal per vehicle in an academic year. (Must show valid Southern Miss student I.D.)

2.10 All faculty and staff employees who are full-time, part-time, regular or temporary will be eligible for faculty/staff parking permits. Those employees who are hired on a temporary basis will be required to pay for their permit in full upon issuance of permit. Faculty/staff who are regular will pay through payroll deduction.

2.11 Any person who reports a permit or decal lost or stolen must re-register to obtain another permit.

2.12 Faculty/staff and students who have been terminated/withdrawn from the university will be reimbursed one-half the cost of the parking registration fee only if requested within 30 days of the issue date.

2.13 The university will reimburse faculty/staff and students for up to sixty (60) days for any billing errors that may have occurred.

2.14 Citation payments can be processed online at www.usm.edu/parking. (See penalties Section 7, subparagraphs 7.10, 7.11.)

2.15 Citations issued with a permit number will be charged to the person to whom the original permit was issued. Citations issued to a vehicle will be charged to the driver/owner.

2.16 Any person falsifying a permit will be subject to towing and fined double the normal citation and towing fees. In addition, parking privileges will be revoked. (See penalties Section 7, subparagraph 7.3, 7.4.)

2.17 All contractors are required to obtain parking permits for their employees’ privately owned vehicles if the employee is parking on campus.  This requirement does not apply to company-owned vehicles.  Companies shall submit a letter (mail or fax) to the Department of Parking Management requesting the number of parking permits needed.  Parking permits will be issued to the individual.  Contractor employees who bring privately owned vehicles to campus are expected to abide by and follow the university parking regulations (see General Information).

2.18 Outsourced employees (i.e., Aramark, Barnes & Noble) will be issued one permit at the same price as a faculty/staff permit which must be paid for at the time of registration. These employees will be responsible for their fines. Failure to pay fines could result in vehicle immobilization.

2.19 Annual registration fees for parking permits are as follows:

TThe annual parking fee can be payroll-deducted over a nine-month period. This period will be from September through May of each year. Additionally, this fee is one that is a pre-tax deduction lowering taxable income. In order to take advantage of spreading the deductions over a nine-month period, you must register for your decal during the open registration period ending August 31, 2011. Any parking decals bought after that date will be divided over two paychecks.
After ten (10) working days from the beginning of each semester, Southern Miss will charge a five-dollar ($5) late fee for vehicle registration.

2.20 Upon termination of employment, faculty/staff must return their permits to the Department of Parking Management and pay all outstanding fines. Exceptions to this section apply to wrecked or traded vehicles and vehicles that have had windshields replaced; owners should provide documentation that states the hangtag (or decal) has been destroyed.

2.21 Any faculty/staff or student who changes place of residence or employment status must obtain the appropriate parking permit within two working days either by returning his/her permit for exchange or purchasing a new permit.

2.22 Any faculty/staff or student who sells or trades a vehicle must obtain the appropriate parking permit within two working days either by returning his/her permit for exchange or purchasing a new permit.

2.23 Any faculty/staff or student who has a windshield replaced or vehicle that has been totaled must provide documentation from a glass or insurance company in order to obtain a permit at no cost.

2.24 Any faculty/staff or student who sells or gives a vehicle to another faculty/staff or student must provide proper documentation to show exchange of ownership.

3. ZONE DESIGNATIONS

3.1 COMMUTER ZONE:  Commuting students

3.2 RESIDENT ZONE:  Resident halls

3.3 FACULTY/STAFF:  Full-time/part-time faculty and staff.  Vehicles properly displaying faculty/staff parking permits may park in faculty/staff, commuter, and open zones.

3.4 LUCAS RESERVE:  Lucas reserve lot only

3.5 POLYMER RESERVE:  Polymer reserve lot only

3.6 PINE HAVEN ZONE:  Residents of Pine Haven Apartments (Reserved parking area that requires a DPM parking permit sticker)

3.7 VILLAGE:  Residents of the Village housing (Reserved parking area that requires a DPM parking permit sticker)

3.8  FRATERNITY:  Residents of Fraternity housing (Reserved parking area that requires a DPM parking permit sticker)

3.9 HANDICAP:  Limited to those who have been authorized to display, and who properly display, a state-issued handicapped permit on his/her vehicle and a Southern Miss parking permit.  Handicapped parking is available in designated areas such as commuter, resident, faculty/staff, open, handicapped, and meter parking, provided the meter fee is paid.

3.10 OPEN ZONE:  To be used only by vehicles properly displaying a valid DPM parking permit (includes parking garage)

3.11 BICYCLE/MOTORCYCLE PADS:  Parking for bicycles/motorcycles properly displaying a valid DPM parking permit

3.12 SERVICE ZONES:  Limited to marked university vehicles, off-campus delivery vehicles, contractor vehicles displaying valid permits, and vehicles with special permits allowing Service Zone parking