All-night study sessions, last-minute cramming and excessive amounts of coffee—these are some of the many signs that exam week is starting. To help reduce some of students’ stress during this time, as well as help students prepare for their holiday departures, Parking Services at Grand Valley State University has made some changes to its normal procedures and policies. 

The biggest change Parking Services has made is instituting overnight hours for several parking lots near the Mary Idema Pew Library to accommodate drivers who want to take advantage of the library’s extended hours. 

“With the library being open 24 hours now, we need to accommodate students who are using the library and accommodate them and their parking,” said Olivia Caton,  parking enforcement supervisor for GVSU’s Department of Public Safety. “We have opened up Lot H, right across from the library there, to allow students to park in there overnight. Typically, we don’t allow parking in those lots from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. 

“In Marketplace, we have changed that a little bit to open up some additional parking for students during exam week, and we are not requiring payment in that lot from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.”

Julie Carbine, GVSU public safety customer service representative, added that the lot near the Marketplace will have “normal enforcement throughout the day” but that from 6:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., students can park in lots H and C without a permit.

In addition to the new parking lot hours, the Parking Services front desk will also have extended hours for exam week. These new hours will continue into the winter 2018 semester as well. 

“We’ve expanded our hours a little bit,” Carbine said. “Right away the last couple of weeks we’ve been open on Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Then, starting when everybody returns from break on Jan. 8, we will have extended hours Monday through Thursday in the evening until 10 p.m., and those Sunday hours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.” 

Aside from exam cram changes, Parking Services has several ways to help students move items and get their things packed to leave campus for winter break. Caton wants to remind students that parking in front of doors, on walkways or in the grass is still not permitted. Students who wish to move something particularly heavy can call Parking Services, and they will help to make special arrangements. 

Parking Services also wants to remind students of other housekeeping items as winter weather has officially arrived. According to both Caton and Carbine, it is vital that students have their parking permits on the lower driver-side corner of their windshield. 

If it’s not placed in the correct spot, students run the risk of getting a citation because only the lower driver-side corner of the windshield will be cleared of snow to check for a permit. They also strongly encourage students to take their bikes home over winter break. Bikes not taken home will be tagged for pickup. 

Those who want more information can call Parking Services at 616-331-3325 or visit their website at www.gvsu.edu/parking/. An updated parking map with all parking lots color-coded is available at www.gvsu.edu/homepage/files/pdf/maps/allendale.pdf.