ID costs unreasonable amount
Jessica Rapp
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Opinions
I must have looked like an idiot, showing up at the Sodexo office for the umpteenth time in two-and-a-half years, after my student ID eluded me once again.
Most times, the purple piece of plastic appeared days later under a seat cushion or buried under my mountain of laundry, resulting in a breath of relief. I could throw away the temporary lunch ticket Sodexo supplies to scatterbrains and vow never to come back again.
This time, I wasn't so lucky, so to relieve the sharp pain I felt from having to pay a fine, I told myself it was stolen.
However, no consoling could justify the fat $25 sucked from my student account after I was handed my replacement. The fee had increased by $5 in January, according to a sign outside the office door.
An ID that took seconds to make and weighed the same as a credit card would cost more than five meals at the dining hall, half my phone bill, two boxes of contacts or a tank of gas. This fee blended in with a monthly list of debit charges that ruled my financially independent life, while the ID itself had little, if any, significance. Very few plastic items in a wallet incur a replacement fee: You pay for overdue library books, but not for the card. You settle an overdraft fee, but not a lost bank card.
David Hoffman, assistant Dean of Student Affairs said the need to raise the replacement fee derives from the increase in cost of producing IDs for the new residence hall perimeter access system. Before, it only cost about a dollar to create an ID, but now, with card stock that has a special proximity wire embedded into it, ID production costs about $4.
That, however, leaves $21 unexplained.
Hoffman said the remaining dollars go toward refunding equipment and labor costs. Student Affairs used money from its auxiliary budget, money coming in from room and board fees, to fund the changes in the residence hall system. A portion of that budget pays for two printers totaling about $12,500 and a $900 software upgrade necessary to make the cards.
Most times, the purple piece of plastic appeared days later under a seat cushion or buried under my mountain of laundry, resulting in a breath of relief. I could throw away the temporary lunch ticket Sodexo supplies to scatterbrains and vow never to come back again.
This time, I wasn't so lucky, so to relieve the sharp pain I felt from having to pay a fine, I told myself it was stolen.
However, no consoling could justify the fat $25 sucked from my student account after I was handed my replacement. The fee had increased by $5 in January, according to a sign outside the office door.
An ID that took seconds to make and weighed the same as a credit card would cost more than five meals at the dining hall, half my phone bill, two boxes of contacts or a tank of gas. This fee blended in with a monthly list of debit charges that ruled my financially independent life, while the ID itself had little, if any, significance. Very few plastic items in a wallet incur a replacement fee: You pay for overdue library books, but not for the card. You settle an overdraft fee, but not a lost bank card.
David Hoffman, assistant Dean of Student Affairs said the need to raise the replacement fee derives from the increase in cost of producing IDs for the new residence hall perimeter access system. Before, it only cost about a dollar to create an ID, but now, with card stock that has a special proximity wire embedded into it, ID production costs about $4.
That, however, leaves $21 unexplained.
Hoffman said the remaining dollars go toward refunding equipment and labor costs. Student Affairs used money from its auxiliary budget, money coming in from room and board fees, to fund the changes in the residence hall system. A portion of that budget pays for two printers totaling about $12,500 and a $900 software upgrade necessary to make the cards.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
andi
noe latsu
posted 3/04/10 @ 9:24 AM CST
Unfortunately, for specialized printers and equipment like those, the cost is $12,500 for a very basic model. That is not the expensive model--those can range $40K or more. (Continued…)
nj
posted 3/04/10 @ 9:36 AM CST
While I understand that this student is frustrated about having to dole out cash for a replacement fee, I think it's laughable how hard she is trying to evade responsibility for her own behavior. (Continued…)
Jessica
posted 3/04/10 @ 5:10 PM CST
I've lost and/or misplaced my ID as many times as this student, so I share the frustration, but I agree with "nj" - that I was frustrated with myself for my own irresponsibility, not with the University. (Continued…)
Steve
posted 3/07/10 @ 2:02 AM CST
No one thinks that ID's should be freely replaceable. The issue is with the purportionality of the replacement price to actual costs incurred. At over six times cost, ID's are priced more outrageously than nearly anything you can buy. (Continued…)
An Alum
posted 3/08/10 @ 10:10 PM CST
Hmmm. . . . maybe prospective employers might ask "How many times have you replaced [ID card, driver's license, car titles, etc.] in the past five years? Honest answers might let a prospective employer know ahead of time that no matter how great the person is in other ways, there's a certain streak of irresponsibility and it might not be wise to put that person in a place of responsibility. (Continued…)
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