It’s an age-old question: do I bring my car to college or not? If you make the decision to do so, there are some important things to know and of which to be aware.

Parking on campus would seem like a pretty straightforward process, but at times the lines distinguishing one parking regulation from another can become blurred, resulting in a ticket or traffic citation. No one wants that, so we’ve compiled a run down of permits, parking and helpful dos and don’ts.

For students living in the residence halls, the parking permit process is not very daunting, seeing as how there is only one permit option available for you — the Housing permit. These can be purchased during move-in day, but if you miss your chance to get them, they can be purchased at parking.ou.edu or in the Parking Office on the third floor of Robertson Hall. Housing permits cost $195 and are charged to your bursar account.

Even though most freshmen only have one parking option, you should know about the permits that are available to other students.

Priority Housing permits are available to upperclassmen that have lived in the dorms in the past, are currently living in the dorms and have completed 24 hours of college not counting transfer, CLEP or AP credits.

Commuter permits are for students that drive from somewhere off-campus. Students that drive from home, apartments or other towns often purchase these passes.

Now that you know what type of passes are available to students and where to get them, the question is who can park where. Housing permit holders typically have access to the lots closest to the residence halls such as the lot near the Huston Huffman Center and the lot next to Couch Restaurants. But be careful, Priority Housing students have reserved spaces directly in front of the buildings.

Finally, commuter students have reserved parking areas such as the stadium parking garage and a lot east of Jenkins.

The best ways to find out where to park are to look at the signs posted in the parking lots and to look over the parking map that is provided with your permit.

The CART System

Cleveland Area Rapid Transit, or CART, is a public transit system that offers students, especially those without their own form of transportation, an easy and affordable way to and from all of the need to-be places in Norman. CART has three stops throughout campus, and also offers students transportation from Lloyd Noble Center to campus free of charge.

“I used the CART bus that ran between campus and Lloyd Noble,” says Carly Risenhoover, drama senior. “It was nice because there was never a shortage of parking spots.”’

For more information about the OU CART system, visit cart.ou.edu.

Also see "Best Ways to Avoid Tickets" for tips on how to keep that little yellow envelope off your windshield.