Some people make New Year?s resolutions to eat healthy, go to the gym or quit smoking. This year, my resolution is to quit receiving parking tickets at Sacramento State.

Every semester I manage to earn at least one ticket. Yes, I?ve pulled the “put an old ticket on your windshield so they?ll pass you by” trick. It worked ? maybe once. Maybe my fatal flaw was that I thought (or hoped, rather) my student pass would magically transform into a faculty one. Clark Kent changed into Superman to save victims from evil. Didn?t my empty bank account and parking woes deserve the same help?

Right away, I had to get at the root of the issue. My first stop was Foley Hall, home of the dreaded University Parking and Transportation Services. I needed to know exactly how big my problem was. As I waited in line, a young woman approached and asked if she could help me. When I said my name, she teased, “Oh, I remember you.” I joked that I was on the black list of repeat offenders, and that UTAPS staff probably has an office bet on who will find me first.

When she returned with a two-page printout of my record, I stopped laughing.

I had 11 tickets totaling $278, plus two more outstanding tickets that brought the grand total to almost $350. When you add that to how much I?ve spent on permits, it brings the grand total to nearly $1,000. They should name the new parking structure?or at least one of the shuttles?in my honor.

Couldn?t I take a hint the first couple of offenses? Did I need to be clubbed on the head to realize that I don?t get to park wherever I want?

Then I realized the real problem. It wasn?t those men and women in orange patrolling the lots. It wasn?t even that idiot in front of me who claimed the last good parking spot. I am the problem. I slept in on the first week of school and wondered why there was traffic and nowhere to park. I skipped parking in overflow, because I didn?t want to walk in the rain. I was the one who overstayed my welcome in the 20-minute parking, because I thought I wouldn?t get caught. I guess it was just more convenient to whine about parking than to just haul my lazy ass out of bed 30 minutes earlier, or to walk the extra half-mile.

And I?m not alone. You hear the moans in the classrooms, the Union and the Pub: “I got a ticket because I was late for class and had no choice but to park illegally.” Maybe freshman or transfers have a little leeway, but the rest of us need to get a clue. The beginning and the end of the semester sucks for trying to park. It happens every year and it?s no surprise.

There are a total of 8,129 parking spots for students. This includes carpool and residence hall spaces. That?s approximately one space for every three students who attends Sac State, and even if we?re not all here at the same time, the lots fill up fast. Why not ride a bike to school, or carpool? And with the benefits of a little exercise and saving money on gas, you can kill two birds with one stone. It might mean leaving a little earlier or coordinating with someone else?s schedule, but parking with less stress isn?t always easy.

Instead of complaining aimlessly, disgruntled parkers should concentrate on the more important issues and avoid drooling over those untouchable green spots. Who knows?maybe if we show we are organized, we might even persuade UTAPS to give us the good spaces.

As for my New Year?s resolution, I paid my outstanding tickets last Friday and made it through the first week of school unscathed. My permit may not have superhuman powers, but it can help me save myself from tickets ? at least until I graduate.