Parking on the San Diego Mesa College campus is never an easy feat, but it should hardly be a mystery. Students plan ahead, arriving hours early to comb the parking lot in hopes of finding a spot.

This just isn’t enough anymore it seems. Now one must try to perform tasks similar to those of a private detective to avoid penalty. How do I know you may ask? Because it happened to me.

One day I felt that I had practically hit the lottery when I found a great spot just across the street from the G-building. I told myself it was too good to be true, but pulled in anyway.

After double checking the spot, triple checking for poles noting a staff parking stall, and lastly verifying that another student was parked alongside me… I still got a parking ticket from the Mesa College Parking Enforcement.

Upon returning to my vehicle after a long day of classes I found the lovely note that had been waiting for me. Frazzled by falling into what could almost be called a “parking trap” I had decided that I would not take this lying down.

I snapped photos of the ground with my phones camera, where the word “staff” should have been. Years of wear and tear had worn the word “staff” away. All that was visible on the spot were a few specks of white near where the side of the “S” was.

Upon confronting the gentlemen in the Mesa College Police Station, they could only offer one solution – take up the issue with the Mesa College Parking Enforcement Website.

I then proceeded to show these gentlemen my photos, and explain that I quadruple-checked the parking stall. Why was the spot was not more clearly labeled? I’ll never know.

I was advised that the faculty stalls are clearly marked with signage, spaced out in varying distances across campus. The word “staff” is also painted on the pavement of each stall.  I was also told that any disputes could only be filed electronically.

After finally accepting defeat, I left with my tail between my legs.

When I was in the police station that day, all that I asked as a disgruntled student was that my 60$ concession be used to re-paint the poorly marked stalls. My hope was to prevent a fellow classmate from undergoing the same fate.

I again was directed towards the San Diego Mesa College Parking enforcement website.

Being the obsessive overachiever that I am, I elected to pay the ticket in order to avoid any late fees, red tape, or further charges. Unfortunately, this was also my admission of guilt.

The staff spots remain in the same state of disrepair till this day, with no efforts of re-painting in sight.

At a loss to find any other way to right this wrong, I am only able to get up on the soapbox that is the Mesa Press and warn my comrades.  Beware of the location of the student parking stalls versus the staff parking stalls; they are not clearly marked and you may unknowingly park in one of them.