If you have not yet experienced the madness that is parking at Madison College-Truax, you are in for a rude awakening. When planning a commute to campus, new students often fail to account for the time it takes to find a place to park, hike to the building, and navigate through the 3-D maze of rooms and hallways before class begins.

Many students like to roll the dice on the lot closest to campus, but when there is not a spot to be found (as is the case more often than not), a moral dilemma ensues. Should one chance a ticket by parking on the curb, or cut one’s losses and add an extra five-minute walk from a more distant lot?

In an effort to make our campus a safer place, the public safety staff will be taking a more aggressive approach to parking enforcement than they have over the past few years. As campus gets busy this fall, they will be placing an officer on parking enforcement full-time who WILL be writing tickets, and calling a towing service if need be.

“You don’t go to the mall at noon and expect a front row parking spot,” says Public Service Officer David Manthey, “and it’s the same for coming to class.” Students should be prepared for a short walk to their classroom after they find a sensible place to park, and plan this into their schedule.

At Madison College-Truax, the parking policies are very clear. All vehicles must display a valid student permit and park in designated areas only. These designated areas are the marked stalls in the main lots between the Truax and Protective Services building, and the overflow lots found next to the sports complex and off of Straubel Street. Parking along curbs or on grass is forbidden. Vehicles parked in such ways are subject to a parking citation and/or towing at the owner’s expense without warning. Permits are available in room B1240 at the main Truax building.

As far as commuting to class goes, Madison College offers more than just parking lots to students. Degree-credit students are eligible to ride the shuttles, which serve Truax, Commercial Ave, Downtown, and South Campuses. These shuttles have been a great asset in particular for students living within walking distance to the Downtown Campus, near the majority of Madison’s student housing. 

All one must do is present their OneCard to the driver. More in-depth information on shuttle routes and schedules is available at madisoncollege.edu/transportation.

Also, unlimited-ride Madison Metro bus passes are available for students of Madison College. Madison Metro operates busses throughout Madison and the surrounding communities.  These can be picked up from the Student Life Center at the Truax Campus.