Employee FAQs
Q. I am a benefits-eligible faculty or staff member. Where do I park?
A. Benefits-eligible faculty and staff with valid parking permits are assigned to an available "lettered" parking center or surface lot that is closest to their school or office. The employee parking areas are marked in blue on the parking map.
Q. I am a benefits-eligible faculty or staff member. Do I need to renew my virtual parking permit each year?
A. No. Your parking permit will renew automatically, and no action is required on your part. Your payroll deduction for parking will continue unless you opt not to park on campus and have a permit. Please keep your vehicle information current in the Parking Portal as we use the vehicle license plate to verify your parking permit.
Q. I am employed by a University contractor (i.e., Aramark, ABM, Siemens, Kelly Services, construction, etc.). Where do I park?
A. Employees who are permanent vendors (i.e., employed by Aramark, ABM, Siemens, Kelly Services, construction) will be assigned to park on the East Campus and will use the SMU Express shuttle service to transit to and from the main campus. Permanent vendor employees should direct any questions regarding their new assigned parking location to their supervisors.
Q. I am a new benefits-eligible faculty or staff member. Where will I be assigned to park?
A. Every effort will be made to assign new faculty and staff to a parking location near their primary school or office location. New employees may be assigned to park initially on the East Campus until a permanent assignment can be made (usually within two weeks from the initial start date). However, new employees may be assigned to park on the East Campus due to high demand. New employees should use the waitlist option available on the online Parking Portal to be reassigned to another location as space allows. New employees who participate in the mandatory Human Resources orientation in Expressway Tower will be provided a parking pass to attend the session.
Q. Will faculty and staff be able to request a new parking assignment that he or she feels is more convenient to their primary office or school?
A. Yes. The Parking and ID Services Office maintains a waitlist for SMU employee parking areas. (See the Waitlist Process below for more information).
Q. I am an SMU employee and I already elected to park on campus during the previous enrollment period. I’d like to receive the $400 credit for an annual DART GoPass instead. How do I switch?
A. The DART GoPass option for SMU benefits-eligible employees is available during the benefits open enrollment period in October.
Q. Can I swap my parking assignment with someone else?
A. No. These requests cannot be accommodated as we use a waitlist process (see FAQs regarding the Waitlist Process below).
SMU Employee FAQs regarding Waitlist Process
Q. How do SMU faculty and staff get on the waitlist for a parking lot or parking center?
A. Benefits-eligible employees can place themselves on up to two waitlist locations using the SMU online Parking Portal. Select the "Add/Edit Waitlist" option near the bottom of the main menu page.
Q. How does SMU manage the waitlist?
A. Employees from the waitlist are given their preferred parking assignment when space becomes available based on the date they were originally placed on our list. Parking assignments are made based on the waitlist preference of individual employees purchasing parking through our office. SMU employees can review their waitlist preferences via the SMU Parking Portal website.
Q. What is the waitlist process for parking assignments?
A. Benefits-eligible SMU employees who currently pay for parking annually using payroll deduction or purchase a permit annually can be placed on a waitlist of their choosing. Employees who pay for parking can be placed on two waitlists as they desire, but when a placement is accepted, their name will be removed from all waitlists. If an employee accepts a placement and would like to remain on a waitlist for another location, they are moved to the bottom of the waitlist location for the parking location they prefer. An employee can stay on the waitlist if the permit is purchased outright and maintained each year. Employees who do not currently pay for parking cannot be placed on a waitlist.
Q. How does SMU manage capacity in the parking centers and lots?
A. SMU has established a maximum assignments capacity for each managed employee parking location on campus based on standards established by the professional parking industry for colleges and universities.
The standard used is that no more than 1.5 full-time employee parking permits are issued for every available employee parking space in a given location. Until the assignment capacity for a location is reached, assignments are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the assignment capacity is reached for a location, individuals are given the opportunity to be placed on a waitlist.
Q. Do I need to renew my waitlist request each year?
A. No, your request will remain active unless you change it or are assigned to a new location. Your waitlist requests can be updated by you via the Parking Portal website.