First, get a parking pass from your gateway university. You can do this online by visiting the parking services for your gateway (Youngstown, Akron, Cleveland, Kent).
Once you have the basic tag to hang from your mirror, ask your parking services office for a YACK sticker—a small silver piece of tape printed with the names of all four schools. Having that on your parking tag gives you the right to park at any of the four schools in the appropriate student lots (more on that below).
If you are taking classes on a campus you don’t know, it is a good idea to visit before your class starts. That way you can find the nearest parking lot to the building you will be in, and better judge your driving distances. Be sure to look at the campus map ahead of time.
Before parking in lots on an unfamiliar campus, it is wise to check the individual university website for advice on restrictions (these restrictions may change without warning). For specific YACK-approved campus lots see below.
Youngstown State: Allows you to park in any area designated as Student Parking. If you want to park in an unattended gated lot, you must stop in at the YSU Parking Services Office and show them your parking pass with its YACK sticker to obtain a pass card to open the gates.
University of Akron: Allows you to park in any area designated as C (Commuter Parking).
Kent State: Allows you to park in any area designated as C (Commuter Parking) and in the R7 lot after 4:00 PM.
Cleveland State: Allows you to park in the non-gated White prepaid parking lots.
If you were parked in a valid location, your tags were in order, and you still got slapped with a parking ticket, don’t panic! Mistakes do happen. Visit Parking Services at the campus that gave you the ticket. Show them your YACK sticker and parking pass and they will give you the appropriate forms to get the ticket rescinded. Some students have had success simply mailing the ticket back with a copy of the parking pass and a letter of explanation. You can also phone the appropriate Parking Services Office to ask what course of action you should take. Here are the numbers for all four Parking Services offices:
Youngstown: (330) 941-3546 | Akron: (330) 972-7213
Cleveland: (216) 678-2023 | Kent: (330) 672-4432
Be sure to identify yourself as a NEOMFA student, and mention that you have both a valid parking pass from your home school as well as a YACK sticker!
© 2021 NEOMFA
English Department
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Ave., RT 1815
Cleveland, Ohio 44115