Not.
Many of you know that I am going to grad school to become a nurse practitioner. Well, now you all know. Anyway, when I started classes last August, I got my parking permit sticker and put it on our van. I followed all the rules of the college, parking only where I was supposed to.
In January I got a car in addition to the van that I drove last fall. I drove the car to school the whole time I had a temporary tag, but never got a ticket. I decided that I would wait to get a sticker for my car until I got a real license plate. The day came in February when my plate came, and I drove to school that Thursday. I parked in my normal lot, went to the student affairs office and obtained a sticker for my car. Then I went to class.
When class was over I walked back to my car only to discover that I had received a ticket for $25: $10 for not having a sticker, and $15 for not parking in the right place (since I didn’t have a sticker). I appealed the ticket, since it was obviously a one-time occurrence, my first offense of any kind, and I HAD a sticker that I had just obtained that day (and the sticker was placed on the car that same day). I asked them to reconsider the ticket.
Fast forward two months. Here we are in April, and since I had not received any notice, I was starting to assume that they had approved my appeal. Today I got an e-mail that said my appeal was denied, and I need to pay the ticket in the next ten days.
Needless to say, I’m not happy with their lack of mercy. I will pay this, but I am sorely tempted to walk in there with 12.5 pounds of pennies (in 50 rolls or all separate). I won’t do that, but this ticket just shows how petty some people can be. Any suggestions?
Lesson learned: don’t cross the sentinels of law and order at the University of Indianapolis.
Words of Truth 
At least you got a ticket for what appeared to be a violation. I’d suggest you NEVER go to the University of Iowa in Iowa City… for ANY reason. A long time ago I went there to apply for a job. They were having trouble finding someone with the right technical skills and experience, and the chief engineer was thrilled that I applied, and hired me on the spot.
I had parked in a spot labeled “for visitors and job applicants.” When I came out of the building, here’s a ticket on the windshield for illegal parking. I walked over to the cop (State U = state cop) and told him what the deal was, and he said “You didn’t have a sticker.” (Well, DUH!) So I said, “Visitors and job applicants can be expected to not have stickers. The sign says that’s where we are supposed to park. ” He said, “If you were really applying for a job, take your application to the Admin building and they’ll dismiss it.” (Note the iplication that I was lying.)
So… I could have suggested that he make sure his Mickey Mouse Ears were on in the approved manner, but I didn’t. Instead, I went into the personnel office and retrieved my application, went to the engineer’s office and told him why I would not be accepting his job offer, then went to Admin, showed them the application and watched as they stamped the ticket “void”. Then I tore up my application in front of them and said that I wouldn’t care to work in a chickenshit mickey mouse place like that where they write you parking tickets for following instructions.”
I never had problems like that in Missouri at either of the two universities I had occasion to visit/attend. Must just be Iowa and Indiana. Maybe something caused by the name of the State beginning with “I”.
;-D