Tonight the first traffic appeals court this semester meets for Mississippi State University students. The court will review tickets given since Aug. 20 every Tuesday and Wednesday for the remainder of the year. Six students will meet tonight and five will meet tomorrow to decide to void the appealed tickets and the accompanying fine, reduce the fine or deny the appeal of about 45 tickets provided by Carolyn Henry. As student coordinator of the appeals court, Henry works in Dean Mike White’s office at 100 Lee Hall.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this important,” Henry said in the fall of 2000 when she began this job.
Appeal forms submitted to Henry in person or via the web by students are read by a court chair who writes the decision of the court to be returned to Henry. The chair only votes in the case of a tie.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Willie Johnson, chair of the Tuesday court said. Johnson will be volunteering his sixth semester for court duty and will be chair for the second time. “I really enjoyed the previous experiences,” Johnson said.
Advertisements for court members were run in The Reflector and a registration table took applications at the start of the school year. Usually 10 students compile the courts, but only 11 of this semester’s 25 applicants met the requirements. Students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA and no outstanding tickets.
“The big thing was outstanding tickets,” Henry said. “This year we had a real problem.”
Last year 25 students were eligible, so 20 were chosen by creating a variety of ages, gender and racial backgrounds while days availablity was the biggest determinant.
“It’s hard to find ten people available at the same time, the same day every week,” Henry said.
The student court is separate from the faculty and staff courts and has a simple fee system. $5 is added to the fine of ticket denied on its first appeal. $5 more is added to a denied second appeal.
No students may attend the first appeal for time considerations, but may submit evidence for the court.
“Sometimes people attach pictures or diagrams to the appeal form,” Henry said.
“Evidence is really helpful,” Johnson said. “That can show us exactly where they are talking about.”
In the 2000-2001 MSU school year, 45 percent of tickets appealed were voided, and the fine was erased. If the appeal is denied at first, a second appeal can be scheduled where students plead their case in person to Henry and the chairs of both current courts.
Courts change at the beginning of each semester and old members usually have priority.
“They have first pick,” said Henry, “if available.