With the parking crunch on campus making itself felt by more and more people every day, it makes sense to assume that the number of tickets issued will increase proportionately.

The NIU Parking Committee recently took a step toward alleviating some of the headaches accompanying tickets and ticket appeals. However, unnecessary concern led to an abrupt change of mind.

Originally, parking officers were to be given discretion when a “violation appears to be inadvertant.” But concerns were raised that this statement was “too vague and needed to be more specific.” So now, officials can issue warning tickets only when the parking permit is visible, but not suctioned to the windshield, and when snow makes parking lines invisible.

Instead of allowing discretion by its officers, parking committee members have simply added additional rules to follow.

Parking Committee Chairman Robert Bornhuetter said officers are “trained only to see if a regulation is being violated … they are not trained to make decisions.” Bornhuetter then made the inane comment that “If given discretion, officers could make the judgment not to ticket a friend’s car.” Since when does discretion enable one to be dishonest?

What is baffling is that anyone on the committee would make statements which imply such an obvious mistrust of parking officers. If discretion would tempt an officer to look the other way, what is to stop him or her from presently doing so?

The Parking Committee has failed to realize discretion is necessary in all fields to allow for some flexibility. Discretion is especially needed by those in an occupation which involves dealing with a large amount of possible scenarios—in this case parking violations.

It is impossible for the committee to regulate all the actions and decisions made by parking officers. With a severe shortage of available parking it is obvious there will be added problems. The rule the committee did adopt does alleviate some of the problems, but it is impossible to make a rule that applies to every situation.

Parking officers need some form of discretion—not additional rules—in order to work more effectively.