Traffic & Parking

Cedar and Oak trees cast shade over Serenade Drive in front of Painter Hall

General Guidelines

All prior rules and regulations for the control, direction, parking and general regulation of traffic and automobiles on the campus and streets of Mississippi University for Women are hereby repealed.

For purposes of these regulations, the term:

Vehicle includes any device upon or by which any individual or property is, or may be, transported or drawn upon a highway, roadway, or street on the campus of Mississippi University for Women;
Motor Vehicle includes every motorized vehicle which is self-propelled, and every boat and trailer whether or not self-propelled;
Motorcycle includes every motorized vehicle having a saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground;
Bicycle includes every vehicle, other than a motor vehicle, designed to travel on not more than two wheels in contact with the ground and propelled by human power;
University means Mississippi University for Women;
Campus means all buildings, streets and grounds under the jurisdiction of Mississippi University for Women or any part thereof;
Police Department means the Police Department at Mississippi University for Women;
Visitor means any individual, other than a faculty member, a staff member, or a student who operates or parks a non-registered vehicle on the campus occasionally, rather than regularly;
Student means any individual enrolled in classes, regardless of the number of credit hours, at Mississippi University for Women;
Faculty or Staff means any individual who is eligible to receive staff benefits, any individual who works for a federal government agency with offices on campus, and any individual who is not a registered student and who works for a contracted campus business.
Decal means the parking permit properly displayed on the vehicle.

The University shall have no liability for loss or damage to any vehicle or the contents of any vehicle brought, operated or parked on the university campus.

The University does not guarantee a parking space.

Registration and Decals

Any individual who regularly operates or parks a motor vehicle or motorcycle on the campus and streets of Mississippi University for Women must register the vehicle and display the appropriate decal on or before the first day of classes or within twenty-four hours (excluding weekends and holidays) after it is first brought on the university campus or streets.

Registration Process

Log into Portal (WCONNECT)
On the left-hand navigation panel, Click the Paperclip (Resources) link
Then Click the “Parking Permit and Ticketing link
That opens a new window for Ops-Com
Click the “Create Account” button, complete profile information
Register a vehicle
Pick up parking decal at MUW Police Department (McDevitt Hall)
For assistance please call (662) 241-6261

Any individual required to register a vehicle shall furnish the following information on forms provided by the university:

Name and ID number of person registering the vehicle;
Make, model and color of each vehicle registered;
State license tag number of each vehicle registered;
Other information concerning the identity of the motor vehicle as may, from time to time, be required.

The university shall prescribe the form of the decal.

No individual shall display more than one university decal on any one vehicle.

The decal shall be properly displayed in a place and manner prescribed by the university or in accordance with instructions printed on the decal.

Any regular employee of Mississippi University for Women, or any employee of a State or Federal agency located on the university campus, may obtain a staff decal for any vehicle or motorcycle brought to campus. Staff decals are solely for the use of regular employees, as described above and may not be secured for the use of a student, friend or relative. Staff decals shall not be displayed on a vehicle that is operated on campus on a regular or occasional basis by a student, friend or relative.

Students shall obtain a decal and register every vehicle or motorcycle brought to campus.

The fee for issuing a decal to any individual during the fall semester shall not exceed the amount established by the university. The fee for issuing a decal to any individual during the spring semester shall not exceed two-thirds of the amount; the fee for issuing a decal to any individual during a summer term shall not exceed one-third of the amount. The cost of a decal shall be established by the university.

Any individual to whom a decal has been issued shall:

Remove any expired decal from the vehicle
Remove any decal from the vehicle upon transfer of ownership or possession of the vehicle.

If a decal becomes marred, mutilated or obliterated, or if, because of damage to the vehicle the decal has to be replaced, or if the individual changes his/her status to a different classification during the year, the individual shall obtain a new decal. The original decal or satisfactory evidence of its destruction should be presented to the MUW Police Department.

Any individual who expects to operate or park any vehicle on the campus for more than eight (8) hours, but less than fourteen (14) days may obtain a temporary parking decal from the MUW Police Department. An individual is limited to two (2) temporary decals per school year.

Any individual to who a decal or permit has been issued shall be responsible for any parking or registration violation(s) in which the vehicle is involved.

Parking Guidelines

Failure by any individual to find a legal parking space shall not be an excuse for violation of these regulations.

For purposes of these regulations, the university may classify individuals into different categories and may restrict parking in any area of its campus to a certain category of individuals. The university shall not, except upon posting or installation of appropriate signs, change the restriction in any area from one category to another during the school year.

No individual, unless otherwise authorized by these regulations or the MUW Police Department, shall park any motor vehicle on the campus:

In any area designated for Handicap Parking;
In any manner that obstructs any wheelchair route or potential wheelchair route;
Adjacent to any yellow curb;
On any sidewalk, lawn or grassed area, except as otherwise provided in these regulations.
In any driveway;
In any loading zone;
In any “No Parking” zone;
In any manner that obstructs traffic;
In a double or multiple manner;
In any manner that obstructs any sidewalk;
In any manner that obstructs or blocks a fire hydrant;
In any location not designated by lines, signs or other means as parking areas;
In any manner exceeding the posted length of time where “time” parking is in effect;
In any area of the campus which has been closed off by the use of barricades, signs, yellow lines or other traffic control devises except as otherwise authorized by these regulations;
In any fire lane; or
In any area designated as “Reserved Parking”.
Against the flow of traffic as defined below:
Every individual, unless otherwise permitted or directed by the appropriate authority, who parallel parks a motor vehicle upon the campus where there is an adjacent curb shall park with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel to, and within twelve inches of, the right-hand curb.

Parking accommodations for mobility-impaired individuals are provided by Mississippi University for Women. Mobility-impaired individuals should obtain a handicap parking permit authorized by the State of Mississippi through an application process which begins at the courthouse. Parking spaces are reserved throughout the campus to accommodate mobility-impaired individuals.

Students shall park their vehicles in areas marked in white spaces on the MUW campus. Areas marked Reserved Parking are only for designated individuals. Reserved Parking is NOT to be used as student parking on evenings and weekends.

Every individual, unless otherwise permitted or directed by appropriate authority, who parallel parks a motor vehicle upon the campus where there is an adjacent curb shall park with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel to, and within twelve inches of the right-hand curb.

No individual shall abandon any motor vehicle on the university campus. The university may, in addition to any other remedy herein provided, upon evidence that a motor vehicle has remained on campus parked and unused for a period of thirty (30) days, remove the vehicle and dispose of it as junk.

Traffic Guidelines

No individual shall operate or park any motor vehicle or motorcycle on the campus in a manner as to cause injury or damage to any individual, grounds, building or other facility or property of the university.
Any individual who operates or parks a vehicle on campus shall obey all traffic and parking signs, yellow or white lines for routing traffic, indicators, markers or signals for the control, direction, parking and regulation of traffic on the campus and streets of Mississippi University for Women including, but not confined to, lawful hand, voice, whistle or other commands or signals.
No individual shall drive or operate a motor vehicle on campus at a speed in excess of ten (10) miles per hour.
Mississippi University for Women shall, consistent with these regulations, place and maintain signs, markers and other traffic control devices upon its campus and streets as it shall deem necessary and sufficient to regulate, warn or guide traffic.
No individual, other than those individuals who by nature of their functions are required to do so, shall park any vehicle in or upon any area of campus that has been closed by the use of barricades or other traffic control devices.
No individual shall operate any motor vehicle on the campus without due regard for the safety and property of others.
Pedestrians shall have the right of way at all marked crosswalks on the campus.
No individual shall operate on the campus any motor vehicle equipped with, noisemaking muffler, cutout or straight exhaust.
No individual shall blow the horn of his or her motor vehicle in an excessive manner.
Any individual who has an accident on the campus shall, if the accident resulted in property damage or personal injury, report the accident to the MUW Police Department.
In addition to the rules and regulations contained herein, all of the laws of the State of Mississippi are in full force and effect at all times on the campus.

Procedures for Traffic Ticket Appeals

Any individual charged with a violation of any rule or regulation is entitled to a hearing before the Traffic and Parking Committee.

The Traffic and Parking Committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing all appeals of traffic citations and making a final judgement. The Traffic and Parking Committee will consist of 2 residential and 2 commuting students appointed by the Office of Student Affairs; 2 faculty members appointed by Faculty Senate; 2 staff members appointed by Staff Council; and an MSMS student and staff member appointed by the MSMS Director.

The appellant must complete the appeal form in their Ops-com account within fourteen (14) days from the date the citation is issued.
The following are NOT acceptable grounds for appealing a traffic ticket:
a.   Ignorance of the regulations
b.   Unavailability of a legal parking space
c.   Improper display of decal
d.   Failure to purchase a decal
e.   Inclement weather
f.   Late arrival for class or meetings

Tickets are considered pending during the appeal process. Traffic ticket appeals are heard on an anonymous basis; only a citation number is available to the committee.

Appeals are reviewed twice per semester. Appellants will receive an email with the decision of their appeal after review.

Penalties

Any individual who knowingly provides any false information required by the terms of these rules and regulations will result in the loss of parking privileges and may be result in a judicial hearing.
Any student who fails to meet his/her financial obligation to the university before the end of the semester will not be permitted to re-register as a student of the university or secure a transcript or credits.
Any regular employee (faculty/staff) who fails to meet his/her financial obligation to the university will result in an administrative hearing and possible garnishment of wages.
Unpaid traffic penalties are cumulative until paid.
Vehicles that are unregistered or have unpaid citations may be wheel-locked and/or towed at the owner/operator’s expense.
Unauthorized vehicles in exclusive service parking or Handicap Parking will be wheel-locked and/or towed at the owner/operator’s expense.

The university may, in addition to any other remedy herein provided, enforce the traffic rules and regulations through the use of a wheel lock device. This device will render the vehicle immobile. The owner of the vehicle will be responsible for all costs and unpaid traffic fines involved. Fees associated with the use of wheel lock devices will be established by the university.

Traffic fines range from $50 – $200.