Student Government Association unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday calling on the administration to adopt a policy of parking citation forgiveness for certain first-time offenders.

The resolution, which the University of Kansas has already adopted, advocates for a forgiveness quiz that minor offenders could take to review campus parking policies as an alternative to paying a fine.

Student Advocate Zane May, who drafted the resolution and presented it in front of SGA, said he felt compelled to respond to general exasperation in the student body.

“Students have been frustrated over receiving tickets for some of the new violations they hadn’t been aware of and going to the appeals committee but still having to pay the fine,” May said.

The student advocate said he sees a forgiveness quiz as a productive alternative to fining students for minor transgressions.

“Certain violations such as pulling through a spot to where your tag on the back isn’t visible to the license-reading technology can be a $30 fine,” May said. “It’s a minor violation and an honest mistake that people could fix by taking a quiz and educating themselves.”

Student Body President Joseph Shepard views the resolution as a step in the right direction, addressing what he sees as a persisting campus issue in parking.

“Since I’ve been here at Wichita State, the biggest complaint that Student Government has always received is about parking issues,” Shepard said. “Instead of charging students a fine for their first offense when they might well not know the policy, there’s no reason why we can’t educate them and move forward.”

The resolution characterizes such fines as a financial burden on students that could “affect academic performance and perception of the university.”

Parking violation fines currently range from $10 to $300.

“Where we are at the state level with higher education, we really need to do a better job helping students alleviate the stress of the financial burden,” Shepard said.

This is the second resolution regarding parking restrictions that has passed in as many SGA meetings, the first advocating for more parking options for students on the day of men’s basketball games.

Shepard is optimistic that the administration will be receptive to implementing such policies as the parking citation forgiveness quiz.

“I really believe that the administration is going to hear this concern, they’re going to see that the senate voted unanimously to approve it, and they’re going to work with the Student Government to implement the system and give students the opportunity to be educated about the parking rules,” Shepard said.