Pay your tickets.

Did you really just post a question about a potential collection action under your full name and with your future travel itinerary? Any collection agency won't have to look that hard to find you, dear.

Be that as it may, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. It's a dick move not to pay your tickets, but whatever. BTW, how did you rack up $500 in tickets at the UW? Did you keep parking in that disabled lot next to the HUB? 'Cause there are signs everywhere that say not to do that...kind of like that WAC section you cited...

I think you are vastly misreading the situation regarding what they can do to collect from you. The UW's public safety people are a state-accredited law enforcement agency. It isn't like a private lot where they'd have to take you to small claims court to do anything or send a collection agency you can blow off-- the UW could have your car towed and impounded anywhere in the state at least. They can also put out a warrant for your arrest. There might even be one now! Believe it or not, stupid things like stacks of unpaid parking tickets can cause you some serious problems, including with international travel.

Now, granted, most of the people UW is ticketing are students and they're usually not going to risk $10,000's in tuition by being jerks about $100's in parking tickets. But I would not just ignore this. At the very least, I would call them up and talk to them about it-- I suspect there's a very good chance you could settle for some smaller amount.

Though the inquisitor is gone... pay your fines. You have a picture of yourself in a US Army Uniform and an ROTC patch on, talking about how you don't want to pay your fines to a state agency. Thanks for making us all look like a bunch of dicks. Whoever though that the 7 Army Values no longer apply to the Army. Jesus.

PAY THE FINES.

I earned dozens of parking tix from UW in my youth - they are still unpaid to this day.
The threat they made at the time when I quized them about this was "better not park your car here again, if you ever enroll at the UW in the future".

Pssht. I shortly after replaced the car and never worried about it again. Never saw collections action. So, I say: Ignore 'em!