Photo IDs costly student necessity

     A one-time fee that would take care of all the necessities at TCC while allowing students to enjoy the amenities at this fine institution of higher learning would be beneficial to students, not only in the pocket book.

     Prior to the college’s reinstituting the current photo identification cards, students could go to any of the EASI machines on any campus to print a free paper student ID card .

     But now, with the upgrading of the software at the stations, students are not able to print them anymore.

     The only complaints by students were that the cards were crumbling up in their wallets or that they were not able to use them at movie theaters—minimal complaints by any standard.

     After several semesters of planning, the administration began offering the photo ID cards for a $10 fee in the fall 1999 semester.

     Students and faculty were told of future plans for this card, such as the ability to use them as debit cards and library cards.

     The ease of having a card to pay for services at the library, such as photocopies, and the ability to use them to check out books or equipment in the gym is a result of the district’s recent improvements in the field of technology.

     The testing center, however, doesn’t require a TCC photo ID card.

     Staff at the testing center said that students who do not have a photo ID can use their driver’s license and a copy of their schedule to show proof of enrollment for that semester.

     The only inconsistency with the photo ID cards that are in place now are that they don’t state what semester they are good for.

     In other words, the $10 ID cards that are currently in place have as much function in the testing center as a driver’s license.

     The only place were the ID cards are actually being put to practical use is the library, where they are required to check books out.

     The district’s usage of its resources has placed it among the best in the nation at the community college level.

     The decision not to make the photo ID cards mandatory gave students who didn’t need them a financial break.

     In the future when they are mandatory, a fee at the time of registration would be more beneficial. This would give the student the message that he or she isn’t being snowballed by payments or that the college isn’t trying to tack on additional or hidden fees after the semester is under way.

     The idea to revolutionize the way students check out and pay for their books should be commended by students and faculty.

     This advancement shows that the district isn’t a static entity, but one that aims at bettering the community and raising the standards.