Today@Sam Article

SHSU Parking Adds Convenience With NuPark

March 28, 2016
SHSU Media Contact: Julia May

An agreement with NuPark Inc. will update SHSU's current parking system and do away with the old decals and hangtags, among other improvements. Attending the recent signing were (from left): UPD Chief Kevin Morris; Assistant Director, Parking and Transportation Matt McDaniel; NuPark Inc. CEO Kevin Uhlenhaker; and Vice President for Finance & Operations Carlos Hernandez. -- Photo by Brian Blalock

Beginning with the 2016 fall semester, Sam Houston State University’s Office of Parking and Transportation will offer a number of new parking services online and via the new SHSU parking mobile app.  

These services were once only available by visiting the parking office’s location in the Sam South Complex. SHSU has added this convenience by partnering with NuPark, a company that provides parking enforcement and permit management solutions.

For decades, SHSU’s parking office has used printed permit decals and hangtags as the primary method of identifying vehicles with permission to park on campus. Similarly, vehicles found in violation of university parking regulations have been cited with either a handwritten or printed, paper citation. The NuPark system will allow SHSU to move a fully virtual permit and eCitation based system. This departure from traditional paper-based methods reduces waste and supports the campus’s green initiatives as well.

“Our partnership with NuPark is just one of the ways our office is working toward solving issues with the parking situation on campus,” said Matt McDaniel, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety Services.

With the new system, the parking and transportation office will use vehicle license plates, rather than decals or hangtags, to verify parking. Issued citations will be e-mailed to the associated registered parker’s designated e-mail account.  Information will include context images of the vehicle and violation information including the GPS coordinates for the violation location. 

A new interactive parking map will be available to show the location of available parking lots and the location of Sam Houston Parking Garage. In addition to the parking garage, pay-by-hour spaces will be located in high-demand parking lots near the Estill Building, Newton Gresham Library, Recreational Sports Center, and residence halls. 

“Visitors and members of the SHSU community will be able to use the available pay-by-hour spaces by registering their vehicle and paying for parking via a smartphone application or parking kiosk,” McDaniel said.

Additional improvements are in the planning stages, according to McDaniel, including several projects that will provide more parking spaces.

“We are excited to partner with SHSU to provide innovative tools to assist the SHSU parking department in improving the overall parking experience on campus,” said Kevin Uhlenhaker, Nupark’s CEO. “Our hope is that efficiencies gained are a direct benefit to the students, faculty and staff.”

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