A new style of student parking passes was issued this year that is long, thin and color-coded based on the type of pass. The pass is also marked by a mirror cutout in the shape of the UT crest, according to UT Public Relations Media Specialist Meghan Cunningham.
The reason for this change is threefold.
The new design will make Rocket Patrol's job easier, and the unique shape of the cut out makes it harder for students to use fraudulent passes.
"[The aesthetic changes] shouldn't affect the way [students] park or the way they use their passes," said Cunningham.
Faculty passes also underwent an environmentally conscious change.
Faculty members will not be issued a new pass but will receive a sticker to put over the expiration date on their old passes instead.
"This is very similar to the way the Secretary of State does this [with license plates,]" said Vice President of Student Affairs Kaye Patten Wallace.
The parking policy for graduate assistants was initially scheduled to change to a standard commuter pass, but it has been returned to a part-time faculty pass.
"[Graduate Assistants] remain eligible to upgrade their student parking passes to employee parking passes," Cunningham said. These upgrades will be free.
UT also made a push to get parking passes out to students earlier than ever before which, according to Patten-Wallace, will hopefully lead to shorter lines for parking passes this week.
"[A] majority of students have parking passes in their hands," she said.
If a student has missed the deadline for parking passes via mail they can be purchased this week in the lobby of Rocket Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday will have more limited hours - 8:30 a.m. until noon.
Those picking up passes will only be able to have them charged to their accounts and the deadline for purchasing parking passes is Friday.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!