Visitor parking is reserved; 2 students: "I can't register for my classes today!!?"

[snugglegirl05]

Long post

Visitor parking was reserved today for 3 events beginning at 11 a.m.

The first event was from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; a small amount of spaces
The second event was from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; a smaller amount of spaces
The third event was from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the President's office reserved the entire garage.

At 11 a.m. there were only enought spaces for the first & second events. & So I call the parking office to let them know. The full sign was turned on, & I placed the big white sign stating Visitor parking is closed for a special event in front of the Visitor parking booth.

First student:
I have dealt with this particular student in the past, & he can be difficult when it is not needed. There were times in the past when Visitor parking was reserved, & he would not take no for an answer.

He drives up to the Visitor parking booth. Here is what happened.

me: "Hi, how may I help you?"
male student: "I want to park. I am here to register for my classes."
me: "Unfortunately you drove past a sign that states the garage is closed for a special event, & so I have no available spots."
male student: "So there are no available spots?"
me: "Correct"
male student: "So where do I park?"

I tell him I can give him directions to the other parking lots *the same ones I told him in the past*

male student: "So I cannot register for my classes today!!?"
me: "I'm not saying that you cannot do that. You can do that, but you have to find other parking."
male student: "So what is the garage reserved for? Are a lot of people coming to the event?"
me: "What is the name of the event you are here for today?"
male student: "Registration"

I look at the Outlook calender printouts. Nothing for registration.

me: "Unfortunately that event is not on the event list, & I am not allowed to tell you the name of the event."
male student: "So registration is going on today?"
me: "yes"
male student: "Do you have change for a dollar?"
me: "Unfortunately I do not get change to make change."
male student: "So where do I get change?"
me: "On the third floor inside the bldg."
male student: "But I need change for the meters"
me: "yes"

he repeats himself.

I repeat myself.

He leaves.

Second student:
He arrived after my co-worker arrived for the 2nd shift. The entire garage was rerserved for her shift. She handled the situation. Here is what happened.

co-worker: "Hi"
male student: "Yeah...I am here to register for my classes"
co-worker: "I'm sorry, but the garage is full."
male student: "So I cannot register for my classes today!!?"
co-worker: "You can do that. You just cannot park in Visitor parking because it is full."
male student: "So where do I park at?"

She gives him an option, which is meter parking across the street.

He leaves.

[Whiskey]

My classes start in a week and a half, how are they just NOW registering?! My school had me register in JUNE.

[bainsidhe]

male student: "Yeah...I am here to register for my classes"
co-worker: "I'm sorry, but the garage is full."
male student: "So I cannot register for my classes today!!?"

Why bother? It's not like you listen anyway.

[jjc927]

Yeah, even if this is in the northeast where school starts in September, it seems VERY late to be just registering for classes now. And this person really needed to just listen and find another place to park.

[Amina516]

I also registered for my fall classes in June..but..

THOSE PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS! I fail to see how a lack a parking means the ZOMFG I cant register for classes and blargh. They take Snuggles NO and apply it to lots of other questions they havent even asked and that do not apply. Lol.

[Eisa]

I had to register in the beginning of April. I can't imagine only registering now...especially since I already know the upper-division Psych classes I need filled up REALLY fast. I registered the first day I could.

They could have come with someone else and been dropped off, that would have negated the need for parking at all...just call when they're done to be picked up. Or, you know, parked in the million parking lot options just offered to them.

I don't know if I'd want to go metered parking now, though--you'd probably be at Registration forever since it's so late.

Kind of reminds me of how you could pay early at my school, but until this year, you could pay in the ballroom the first week of school, and there were always humongous lines because everyone forgot to pay...

[AccountingDrone]

Really dumb question, where is the handicapped parking? There might be an ADA violation if it is not within a certain distance of the entrance ... My last place of employ got into trouble with their handicapped parking and had to actually move it to be in compliance.

[Whiskey]

Really dumb question, where is the handicapped parking? There might be an ADA violation if the gimp parking is not within a certain distance of the entrance ... My last place of employ got into trouble with their handicapped parking and had to actually move it to be in compliance.

I'm sure special exception was made for handicapped parking. Colleges are generally VERY AWARE of ADA laws. My podunk community college is on its toes at all times about ada compliance.

@everyone, my school is being cut hardcore. To the point they're cutting courses REQUIRED TO GRADUATE. Its not like they're cutting Pottery 102. They're cutting English, Math, Biology. My school is currently at 125% enrollment. I'm a former student as well as disability student. I think I'm 2nd in line for registration. I get the best schedule possible every semester. I also work my book smart behind to hell and back every semester

[Eisa]

Wow. My school sucks ass, but at least they haven't done that yet. I'm a senior plus an honors student [they get to register first], so that means I get to register first. That definitely helps.

My school is not as aware of ADA laws as they should be, I think, at least with some of the older buildings, but I think they've tried...only so much they can do. Handicapped parking is pretty good, you just have to have a parking pass, of course.

[It's me]

This is slightly off topic.... but I like reading your threads, and I have noticed you are getting much, much better at handling pushy parking people!

[EvilEmpryss]

My university just had its last orientation today, and there were at least a hundred students who hadn't yet registered for a single class. I only registered last week, but that's because I applied late. For those needing to squeeze into a class that's full, find out when the college purges the registration of students who haven't paid their tuition... at my college, if you hadn't paid by Friday at 5 pm, Monday at 5 pm you were dropped from all of your classes, creating a bunch of openings in hard-to-get classes. I picked up two that I needed in the time slots I needed that way.

I think I also ticked off quite a few people because I purchased my parking permit (aka hunting license) today. All the on-campus parking permits were sold out, but they set a certain number aside for us gimps. After the three people ahead of me left the desk whining about having to park in the remote lots (and the people behind me were gearing up their excuses for why they should be allowed an on-campus permit, I rolled up, gave them my handicap license number, and left with the coveted permit. I almost felt like I should hide it to keep from getting mugged on the way out.

[QASlave]

[QUOTE]=male student: "So where do I park at?"[\QUOTE]

[firecat88]

Is there no such thing as online registration at this school? O.o At my school, we register for our classes online, and we get student e-mails telling us when we're supposed to *start* doing this. Sure, you *can* go down to the registrar's office if you like, but online registration is so much easier and faster...if you register on time. Registering for classes a week before they're set to start? Good luck.

Even if you register on time, though, getting the classes you want/need can still be amazingly tricky. People can start signing up at midnight on a certain day, so if you log in at, say, 3 PM on that day, the classes you're trying to get into could already be halfway full, if not completely full. And then there's the dreaded prerequisite errors that prevent you from registering for a class and can only be fixed by the professor teaching the class.

All of this begs me to ask- Why, for the love of Heaven and rice, would you wait until the last week before the start of the semester to register?

[Whiskey]

^even better. My campus you can put the classes you want to enroll in in a "preferred waiting list." When its time to register, you just check the box next to the classes you want on your Preferred list and boom, youre registered.

[snugglegirl05]

AccountingDrone:

There are 4 handicapped spots inside Visitor Parking. The bad news is if everyone handicapped spot is full, & Visitor parking is reserved, then the handicapped customer has to find other parking. I have had to deal with upset handicapped cutomers in the past when Visitor Parking was reserved. I would call the Parking office. Sometimes an exception was made. Sometimes an exception was not made.

The university does charge handicapped customers a $5.00 parking fee *the same fee everyone else has to pay*. I & my co-worker have dealt with handicapped customers who did not want to pay for their parking. If either on of us dealt with the customer on the phone, the call would be transferred to the Parking office. There have been times when campus police would arrive at the garage & would tell the customer they could exit for free. The parking office does not like this, but there is nothing we can do.

I do not know the legalities of the ADA.

It's Me:
I'm glad I am getting better at dealing with pushy parkers. I do things differently that what I was trained to do by the Community Relations staff *that dept. was over Visitor Parking until the Parking office took over*. That dept. wanted me to explain to the customer why they could not park after telling them it is reserved for an event. I felt it was not necessary to tell them why they could not park after telling them the garage was reserved.

The other posters:
Students at the university I work at sign up for classes on-line & at the campus. There are students who sign up at the campus the week before the semester begins, 2 days before the semester begins, 1 day before the semester begins, & even on the first day of classes.

I changed my spiel after dealing with prospective students going to testing services http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=65116
But some people just 1) want to be difficult or 2) do not listen