Junior exploratory major Eric Green checks car windows in the White Hall parking lot. Parking services employees do not have quotas, but Green has written as many as 40 or 50 tickets a day. GAVIN JACKSON | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: DKS Editors

You’ve all seen them. With the light of 1,000 suns, they weave in and out of campus parking lots, sometimes striking fear and other times shining a beam of hope. They are: parking services employees.

The description may seem a bit over the top, but these campus workers clad in bright yellow-green tops have a wide range of responsibilities all meant to help those who commute to campus.

“I try to keep it on the down low,”said Eric Green, exploratory major and parking services employee, said. “I don’t go into class and announce that I’m in parking services.”

Green, who has been working for parking services for over a year, said that he originally took the job because it was the only job outdoors that didn’t involve picking up trash.

“I try not to be a jerk,” he said, explaining that he jokes around on the job. “I’ve seen my friends’ cars and put an empty note inside just to mess with them.”

But in all seriousness, Green has quite a few responsibilities. A day last February campus was buried in snow, and parking services was called to help.

“We got about 15 to 20 calls for motorist assists that day,” Green said, explaining that parking services offers a program to help campus drivers. They fill tires, jump start cars and transport gas.

Although parking services employees don’t have quotas, Green said that some days he gives up to 40 or 50 tickets – that’s probably why some don’t have such fond memories of the services Green and his fellow parking service employees provide.

Alyssa Maxson, sophomore integrated health studies major, said she got a ticket for not properly displaying her parking pass in her car, and she didn’t receive much help when she tried to get the ticket voided.

“They respond quickly with coming to help you and stuff,” she said. “But as far as ticketing goes, I think they’re unfair.”

Green said he doesn’t encounter unhappy drivers too often.But once while working at a football game, he had to deal with an unruly driver who stopped where she shouldn’t have.

“She called me a douche bag,” he said. “Then the cops came over.”

Green said most people seem to understand parking illegally will result in a ticket, and he said those who get away with it should consider it “an awesome, happy time.”

“I don’t like writing tickets for people, but I do because it’s my job,” Green said. “I don’t know anybody (at parking services) who isn’t (a) good (person).”

Contact assistant features editor Andrea Sinclair at [email protected].