The University recently implemented a new policy, which allows students who are issued parking citations to perform three hours of community service instead of paying a fine. We commend the University for finding an innovative alternative to providing restitution for a traffic or parking violation. For some students, the $50 fine is too expensive and can be burdensome to pay. As college students, we are by nature fiscally challenged and an unexpected traffic or parking citation can add to our financial problems.

The community service provides traffic and parking violators with an alternative method of retribution. While we do not want the University to lessen the punishment for traffic and parking violations, we appreciate the University providing alternative methods of retribution.

In addition, the community service provides an added benefit to the University. While most of us can only imagine what the fine is used for, the community service provides visible results. It provides the University with a cleaner campus and relieves some stress from employees that have been asked to do more work since the budget cuts.

While we support the University’s implementation of an alternative, we hope that traffic and parking violators do not take advantage of the new program. Being able to perform community service instead of paying a fine does not mean that it is acceptable to break the University’s parking and traffic regulations.

We hope that students will use this alternative to provide a needed service to Nicholls. The University could always use a few more volunteers to help out around campus.