Penn State football campers, parents and coaches were met back at their cars with parking tickets en masse during a recent 7-on-7 camp, according to a social media post by Mark Brennan of 247 Sports,
It was in many ways emblematic of the challenges that come with trying to align various parts of the same university. Parking around the Lasch Building has long been a point of contention throughout the year for both players and others who might swing by.
While hawkish parking police might be enforcing well intended rules, Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft is hopeful there is a way to work towards something other than ticketing everyone in situations such as these.
“I wish I had the answer to that,” Kraft told StateCollege.com. “I do like to stay in my lane a little bit. I don’t oversee parking. I did see that but I think [new Penn State president] Neeli [Bendapudi] does an amazing job of getting everybody in to discuss things. And so we have a wonderful cabinet with her. I haven’t been here long enough and I’ve got my tickets. Parking knows that I’ve got my share of tickets. So I’ve supported parking.
“…You’ve got to first attack situations together. Is this the right look or how do we fix this? And how do we get creative? I don’t want anyone to lose revenue. But how do we find ways to make this work?”
In defense of Kraft, this particular situation poses a unique challenge as well. Penn State can’t simply pay parking tickets due to NCAA rules. So making good on this particular issue likely won’t unfold the way anyone may have liked.
And maybe the rule is to simply park somewhere else. But perhaps a lighter hand and some flexibility might foster a bit of good will with visitors and potential recruits.
