After a busy day of classes and meetings, students dread seeing a Park ‘N Pony ticket on their dashboard.

Last year, SMU Park ‘N Pony issued more than 24,000 tickets to visitors and the student body.

On a campus-wide scale, students often criticize Park ‘N Pony.

Julie Wiksten, assistant vice president for campus services, thinks students should not be complaining.

“Students forget about all the things that Park ‘N Pony does. Mustang Express, Giddy-Up, SMU Rides and a partnership with DART are all due to Park ‘N Pony,” she said. “This is not to mention the more than 3,200 special events that the organization overviews over the course of a year.”

She also said that students need to realize that most of the tickets that are issued are avoidable.

A large amount of tickets issued by Park ‘N Pony are for drivers that park in handicap and fire lane spots — illegal across the state of Texas.

Thousands of visitors to SMU also increase the amount of tickets issued.

“People should also take advantage of the ticket appeal process. Only about one-tenth of tickets issued are ever appealed,” Wiksten said. “There are many checks and balances.”

Park ‘N Pony has grown increasingly creative with how tickets can be paid.

During the fall semester, the organization allowed for students to pay for their tickets with new toys of equal value.

To those who oppose Park ‘N Pony on campus, Wiksten encourages a look at the other side of the coin.

“Without Park ‘N Pony, mass chaos would ensue. Everyone would be trying to get into a limited amount of resources,” she said. “Students should be able to adapt to the rules in place.”

Because SMU is a walking campus, its parking spaces are on the perimeters of campus.

Students are encouraged, by design, to walk to class.

“If someone has a class in Dallas Hall, they might not be able to park right beside it,” she said. “There is a lot of available parking in the garages around campus.”

She also complimented Park ‘N Pony for successfully handling new University Park ordinances that do not allow non-residents to park in city spots.

This change has forced residents of other cities and some SMU students to start parking on the SMU campus.

Wiksten has a final message for all those that complain about getting a ticket from Park ‘N Pony.

“The organization gets a bad reputation because of tickets, but one should look at the entire portfolio before making a judgment.”