It doesn't take a meteorologist to figure out that this winter was a strange one. About this time last year, we were still wading knee-deep through snow that persisted in falling all through the month of April. This year, you would be considered extremely generous if you were to say that there was snow on the ground for five days. Neither instance should be extremely shocking, however. Both merely give testament to the already notoriously erratic nature of New England weather.

These unpredictable weather conditions are especially interesting because they make road conditions variable from day to day. Yet, despite the fickle weather, the College ironically insists on enforcing a rigid parking ban during the winter without accommodations for such irregularities.

The winter parking ban, in effect from Dec. 1 to March 31, states that, "No vehicle may be parked on campus overnight, including weekends, during the parking ban. Vehicles parked on campus after 2 a.m. will be towed to facilitate snow removal regardless of whether or not snow is predicted occurring." The absurdity of the current conditions enforcing the ban seem readily apparent.

The Campus Police should put the parking ban into effect only when necessary as a precautionary tool. Especially with technology being as advanced as it is today, their decision on whether the ban is or isn't in effect could be posted every week-depending on pending weather forecasts-on the official Campus Police website. From there, the announcement would probably appear on commonly used pages like the Daily Jolt and NOTE's Intranet.

Such a change in policy would accommodate the difference in the longevity of various winters. There is no set rule, after all, determining that snow will fall only after Dec. 1 and will not fall after March 31. Under a revised policy, the Campus Police would have the liberty to enforce the winter parking ban both before and after the traditional period during which the ban is currently enforced.