As Mississippi University for Women prepares for the start of the 2022-23 school year, Chief of Police Randy Vibrock would like to offer some suggestions and a few reminders to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience on campus.

“We are excited to see students, faculty and staff returning to campus,” Vibrock said. “The start of school year always sees a higher volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, so The W Police Department asks that everyone adhere to our parking and traffic safety rules.”

If you plan to have a vehicle on campus, you must register your vehicle with The W police department. To do that, log into Portal (WCONNECT) and click the Paperclip (Resources) link on the left-hand navigation panel. Then click the “Parking Permit and Ticketing” link, which will open a window for Ops-Com (http://muwparking.parkadmin.com/login). Click the “Create Account” button to complete your profile information and then register your vehicle. You can pick up a parking decal at The W Police Department, which is located in McDevitt Hall.

Individuals should hang their decals unobstructed from the rear-view mirror of their vehicle, so W police officers can clearly see the decal number.

If you need assistance, contact Janet Robertson at (662) 241-6261 or jgrobertson@muw.edu.

In addition to registering vehicles, students, faculty and staff members are reminded to be familiar with the traffic and parking guidelines. Two common parking infractions W police officers encounter are “Parking Out of Zone” and “Parking Against the Flow.”

As a reminder, green spaces are for faculty and staff parking only from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Students who park in these spaces at these times could be issued a citation for being “Out of Zone.” Students should park in spaces that are painted white. 

Also, when parallel parking along the street, your vehicle must be parked with the flow of traffic. The passenger’s side tires of the vehicle must be parked adjacent to the curb. Vehicles parked in the opposite direction of travel could be issued a citation for “Parking against the Flow.”

A complete list of the traffic and parking guidelines can be found at: https://web1.muw.edu/police/traffic 

For safety purposes, the posted speed limit for campus is 10 mph. Drivers should never exceed the posted speed limit. This could pose a threat to pedestrians. 

To help control vehicle speeds, speed bumps are located in areas of campus where drivers may inadvertently drive at a higher speed. These speed bumps are located on the north, east and west sides of Welty Hall. 

Individuals using bicycles and skateboards should follow the same traffic rules as motor vehicles. Bicycles and skateboards should never be used on sidewalks.  

Pedestrians should always use sidewalks and crosswalks. Please remember pedestrians have the right of way while using crosswalks. 

“We encourage everyone to be mindful of pedestrians and use caution while driving on campus,” Vibrock said. “We all play a role in maintaining a safe campus.”