Campus safety officers issue approximately 2,300 parking permits to students every year, according to Campus Safety Director William Corner. Calvin parking permits for student cars cost $195 per year for students. In an average year, Campus Safety also issues about 1,600 parking tickets. The average cost of a ticket is $20. Permit pricing is set collaboratively by the president’s cabinet and Campus Safety department leadership. The funds, according to Corner, are put toward the university’s general funds. These funds cover Campus Safety patrols, snow plowing in the winter, lot lighting and maintenance.

Parking permits help keep parking “orderly,” with different color permits indicating on campus, resident students, commuters, faculty and staff. Permits also assist Campus Safety in tracking down owners when there is an emergency involving a vehicle or when a vehicle needs to be moved, as well as helping them enforce overnight parking rules. “This ensures that commuter lots are empty of vehicles between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. so facilities can plow the snow in the lots during the winter,” Corner said. “It also ensures commuter students are able to find a place to park when they arrive on campus for class.”