By Summer McCann
As the semester ends and finals approach, students may mistakenly believe regular parking rules are no longer in effect.
This is not the case.
BYU''s traffic office said students should know standard parking regulations will be enforced on campus during reading days and finals week.
'This is often a confusing time for students. They think that just because they''re not going to regular classes that parking regulations are not being enforced,' said Russ Fuller, superintendent of BYU parking enforcement.
Even though there are not as many students on campus during the final week of school, all university employees will be on campus working until Dec. 21, Fuller said.
'These employees still need to do their jobs,' he said.
Parking rules will be enforced exactly the same as any other time of the semester, said Lieutenant Aaron Rhodes of the Traffic Office.
Parking enforcement will actually have more officers on patrol enforcing regulations beginning with the first reading day, Fuller said.
'Our officers normally begin issuing tickets at 7 a.m. During reading and finals days, officers will be out as early as 6 a.m. to prevent people from parking in the wrong lots,' he said.
Deborah Feil received a ticket for parking in a restricted lot near the Testing Center last semester.
'I thought that since it was finals week and there were less people parking on campus, it would be OK to park in one of the more central lots while I took a test,' said Feil, 20, a junior from Salt Lake City, majoring in exercise science.
'When I saw the ticket on my windshield, I knew I was wrong,' she said.
Tickets distributed during finals week are the same ones handed out throughout the normal semester.
'The fine is for the same amount of $20,' Fuller said.
During the academic break, from Dec. 22 until Jan. 2, all lower lots surrounding campus will be open parking, Rhodes said.
The upper parking lots near the center of campus will be enforced as usual, he said
'We want to prevent students from getting tickets, and help them end the semester on a good note,' Rhodes said.