By SOPHIA VERNON ’26
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 20 February 2026
One thing about Houghton University (HU) is that parking is a sore subject. Rifts between Safety and Security (S&S) and students run high. Parking tickets pelt like vicious yellow paper bullets, tucked neatly into driver’s side doors that happen to grace unpermitted school concrete for even moments. Anna McNamara ‘26 said, “I fear people lose their minds as soon as they drive onto campus and forget how to drive a car. Parking habits here are beyond grim.”
Perhaps speaking from experience, McNamara has admittedly made her way onto the bad.parking.at.hu (HUBP) Instagram account numerous times. This social media account, as titled, is a student-run, non-Houghton-University-affiliated Instagram page dedicated to highlighting the continuous onslaught of problematic parking jobs on campus.
Managed by an anonymous third-year HU student, the account is based on student-taken photos that can be submitted through Instagram messages (DM’s), launching its first post on Dec. 11, 2024, with a photo of a car parked crooked and centered between two parking spots at the campus center, captioned, “There’s lines for a reason.”
Since then, HUBP has been consistently active, posting over 275 questionable parking photos on campus and racking up over 400 followers. All of this begs the question: Does public shaming work to curb these poor parking habits?(Get it… c u r b…)
A HU YikYak Poll asked whether HUBP has helped stop people from parking badly, and 72% answered no. In response to the same question, HUPB stated, “Nah, I don’t think so.”
When asked what plays the biggest role in people parking poorly on campus, HUBP answered, “Depends. Weather in the winter, laziness when it’s nicer, or just year-round. And sometimes it’s some person dropping off their friends and getting sent as a joke. And then there’s a few that genuinely just can’t park right.”
This sentiment is shared by McNamara, who agreed that she is more likely to send in “friends 100%” than to report general bad parking she sees on campus.
Part of the question surrounding whether HUBP is effective in public-shaming people into parking better is whether it is embarrassing for a person to have their car posted, or whether there is a clout aspect to it. McNamara answered, “Both. It depends. If it’s like not that bad, it’s definitely embarrassing, but if you knew it was BAD, it’s iconic.”
She proceeded by pointing out examples on the account, explaining that a truck parked just over the line is embarrassing, but that a car parked entirely in the crosswalk beside the music building is iconic.
When talking about her commenting habits on HUBP posts, she stated, “Oh, I will 100% comment if it’s my car,” adding, “Again, if it’s iconic,” but clarifying that “if I sent it, I’m leaving it anonymous.”
A HU YikYak poll shows 62% of students say being posted on HUBP is clout, while 38% voted that it is embarrassing. Is there a clout aspect to being featured on the account? HUBP answered, “Not really, I really think it’s more just for fun.”
When asked if there are common repeat offenders sent to the account, they stated, “Not really, I mean there was that one chick last year who got sent in like 8 times, but I think it got to the point where it was a joke with their friends.”
A notable repeat offender on HUBP is HU’s S&S, with four features on the account for improper parking. This raises questions on whether S&S should be held responsible for their parking woes, like they ticket students for. Another HU YikYak poll shows that 91% of students believe S&S should be fined for improper parking. Echoing this sentiment, one HUBP post shows a S&S car parked crooked and outside the lines with the caption reading, “Nobody is above the law, shame we can’t give them tickets.”
It seems public shaming is not fostering change for the better in the HU parking situation.
Instead, HUBP has created an outlet for the student body to unite in poking fun at humorous campus parking fails and to take away even just a sliver of the strife surrounding S&S. So, until some better form of parking enforcement magically arises, park at your own risk… or prepare for your 0.15 seconds of HUBP fame. ★
