General Policies

You are welcome to bring a motor vehicle (MV)––a car, truck, motorbike or motorcycle––to New Ulm provided you register the MV with the Student Life Office. There is currently sufficient parking lot space to accommodate students wishing to bring a vehicle to campus. Of course if numbers increase and parking space becomes tight, it may become necessary to limit, in some way, the number of students who can bring vehicles.  It might, for example, become necessary in the future to limit the number of freshmen who can bring cars to campus.

Registration of a MV is not required if you bring a car to New Ulm for less than a day on a single occasion and do not park that MV overnight in New Ulm. Visitor parking is provided on campus for such short-term visits.

The MV you bring to school must remain insured and safe to operate.

You must maintain your MV in operating condition and have the financial means to do so. Minnesota weather can be very cold and, as such, hard on cars kept out-of-doors.  Know where and how you can jump start a dead battery.  If your car is inoperable, you protect yourself from a fine by registering your “dead car” with the Student Life Office.  You should fix your car within a short and reasonable amount of time or risk having your MV towed at your expense.

You may not park your MV on the city streets/parking lots located in and around campus unless directed to do so either at the time of a snow emergency or when a school event brings visitors on campus…visitors who use up our parking lot space! City street/lot parking by MLC students is against college policy because it hinders MLC’s cordial relationship with its residential and municipal neighbors. The city attorney of New Ulm has stated that it is within the purview of the college to regulate student parking even on city streets.

Parking Basics

Your MV will be issued a parking sticker which must be fully applied and fully displayed on the passenger side of the windshield. If not seen by the campus security patrol, your vehicle may be ticketed.

If you get a new vehicle during the year, you need to report this to the Student Life Office immediately. At the same time, you should 1) place your parking sticker on your new vehicle or 2) bring your old sticker to the Student Life Office for a replacement sticker.  Without your old sticker it will be difficult for us to issue a replacement.

If you decide to get rid of your vehicle (for whatever reason) during the school year and will no longer be keeping a car on campus, you may return your parking sticker to the Student Life Office for a pro-rated refund. DO NOT SELL OR GIVE your unused parking sticker to another person—this is a major violation of campus parking policy and will result in an automatic $100 fine.

Dormitory students are assigned to one of several parking zones:

  • SUMMIT – Lot next to Summit Hall
  • CROSS – Chapel/Commuter Lot located to the west of the Chapel
  • STAR – Lot behind Augustana and Concord Halls
  • FOOTBALL — Lot next to the football bowl
  • DIAMOND – Lot next to the softball diamond
  • HEART — Lot between the diamond and football lots

You may park in any permitted parking space within the lot to which you’ve been assigned and for which you have a sticker.

Lots bearing the RING or SQUARE or FISH or TRIANGLE symbols are reserved at all times for faculty and staff. Students may not park in these lots at any time. Parking fines in these zones are larger.

Students and faculty are not to park in any visitor zones or spaces. Again, parking fines in visitor zones are larger.

Students should note that there are no special parking zones or regulations which take effect after 5 pm or on weekends. Park in the lot assigned to you no matter what the time of day or the circumstance. In addition, there are no special considerations for “short-term” parking. Remember that individual convenience is not the governing principal when it comes to campus parking!

Students who park close to a dormitory in order to unload groceries or laundry should put on their vehicle’s “flasher” lights which will indicate they are parked in that spot for a very short period of time.

Parking Particulars

Centennial Residents: Please note that two “15 Minute Zone” spots have been created for you in the faculty lot (SQUARE symbol) behind Centennial Hall.  These two spots may be used for 15 minutes only and cars parked in these spots must have their flashers operating!  If you drive into the lot and those two parking spots are being used, you must leave the lot and come back later — DO NOT PARK IN FACULTY/STAFF PARKING SPOTS!!!!!!!