Long lines in the hot August sun to buy parking permits are a thing of the past now that Southwestern College has moved to online purchasing.
SWC has contracted with Credentials Solutions to simplify the once-arduous process. Other community colleges such as San Diego Mesa College and San Diego City College have had the option of buying parking permits online for a number of years and students have reported good results. SWC implemented the change for the fall semester. College spokesperson Lillian Leopold said the new system seems to be working very well.
“I think part of it is that we went through a third party vendor to get the parking permits online,” she said. “We can’t enter credit card information on our website, so that’s probably another reason why we went through this vendor.”
Online permit purchasing spares students from having to stand in long lines, said Leopold. Nearly 6,000 students bought permits online, she said.
Leopold said college officials hope that less-expensive, easier-to-buy permits will help resolve some tension in the neighborhood across the street from SWC.
“We’re trying to come up with a solution for the students who park in College Estates,” she said. “If you got a permit for Lot O or Lot G, you got a discount. The regular price was $40, the BOGs were $20. To park in Lot O and G is $20 as well.”
Although purchasing permits is more convenient, some students still insist they are too pricey.
“Either way, I find the parking permits too expensive,” said Kyle Buenaflor, a fire science major. “I have a car and a bike, and I don’t mind walking. (Permits) available online doesn’t make me want to buy one.”
Other students said they appreciated the online system.
“For my first time doing it, I thought it was easy and convenient,” said nursing major Brittany Moffatt. “I just went online, paid my $20 and it came in the mail in about three days.”
Making parking permits available online was a project of Police Chief Michael Cash and Dean of Student Services Mia McClellan, said Leopold. Cash is on administrative leave and was not available for comment. McClellan refused to cooperate with a reporter from The Sun and refused to be interviewed unless she was given questions in advance. Professional journalism ethics forbid questions in advance, particularly when there is reason to believe a third party may answer the questions instead of the intended source. McClellan’s office has committed that infraction in the past.
The Sun filed a California Public Records Act requesting documents and information McClellan’s office refused to supply related to online parking permits. College officials failed to respond within the law’s 10-day deadline. The Sun’s Editorial Board will continue to pursue the documents and will seek legal intervention if necessary, said David McVicker, Editor-in-Chief of The Sun.
“The information Dean McClellan refuses to share is public information and any member of the community has the legal right to it,” McVicker said. “The Editorial Board of The Sun is concerned that some members of the current administration still seem to be behaving in the manner of the previous Chopra-Alioto administration and the former PIO Chris Bender. As a matter of principle we will continue to insist on full access to public officials and public documents.”