Grand View issues 821 parking tickets

Grand View University issued 821 parking tickets at its campus between August 2025 and May 2026. The enforcement pace averaged three tickets per day. The total cost to students and employees exceeded $24,630 in ticket fees.

Campus Safety officers conduct regular rounds through the lots to verify compliance. The university requires all students to purchase a parking pass. Residents pay $176 for a pass, while commuters pay $88. The passes come in four colors that designate specific parking zones. Green indicates commuter parking, yellow is for residents, orange is reserved resident parking, and blue is for employees.

Officers write tickets when they find vehicles in the wrong lot or without a permit. Fees for these violations range from $30 to more than $100. Dave Murillo, the Campus Safety Director, stated that the team enforces the university’s policies rather than creating their own rules. Murillo is a former Des Moines Police Officer who spent 10 years in security for Des Moines Public Schools before joining the university.

Students and employees may appeal a ticket they believe is unjustified. Appeal forms are available at the Welcome Desk in the Henning Student Center or as a PDF on MyGVU. The completed form must be returned within 10 business days of the ticket issuance. The Appeal Committee meets once a month to review all submissions from the previous month.

The committee includes representatives from Campus Services, Student Life, the Business Office, Conferencing, Security, and Viking Council. Members verify the ticket details and compare the appeal reason against the parking policy. During fall and spring semesters, 10 to 15 tickets are appealed each month. Approximately three of those appeals are approved.

Common grounds for appeals include students claiming they did not know where to park or needed to stop temporarily. Jake Thompson, Director of Conferencing and a committee member, noted that many drivers are simply unloading groceries near their residence. He suggested that drivers can call Security for permission to park briefly in these situations. He also mentioned injuries that prevent walking as another common reason for temporary misparking.

A frequent issue involves decals placed in the wrong spot on the vehicle. Permits must be affixed to the rear driver’s side window. This placement helps officers locate the decal quickly, regardless of how the vehicle is parked. Students with temporary injuries may also apply for temporary handicap parking through the Iowa Department of Transportation. The application can be submitted online or in person at a local Department of Motor Vehicles office.