Lesson learned

By Emily Wilkins

Created:
02/09/10 11:42pm

Last updated:
02/09/10 11:43pm

1 comment

When I first started this blog post, I was going to write about how easy it was to get a new student ID after I lost my old one last week.

When I first realized my ID was gone — and frantically searched through my backpack as the night receptionist probably wondered whether it would be easier to deal with an intoxicated person — I was expecting to brush quite a few elbows with excess bureaucracy in a quest that would take several days.

So, I was delighted when the entire process (including the time I took to get the ID activated with the administration at my residence hall) took less than one hour.

I was not delighted when my mother called me a few days later asking why there was a $20 dollar fine on my account for a new ID.

No one had informed me of the charge which (while small) would have been enough to prompt me to look for my old card further (I was contacted by someone who found it less than an hour after I got my new one).

I’m not naive enough to believe this oversight wasn’t in part my fault. When the night receptionist at my residence hall told me a replacement was free, I should have double-checked with the Office of the Registrar.

A quick online search also reveals that a replacement ID is $20 dollars and the charge will be placed on my account. Still, I find it odd that the addition of the charge to my account wasn’t mentioned by the employee who replaced my card.

This has to be chalked up to a learning experience. Wall Street’s events of last year brought the term “hidden charges” to my vocabulary. And while this charge wasn’t purposely concealed (or, at least I hope not) it’s clear things no longer are always spelled out.

Asking questions, even ones that seem basic, or double-checking the facts, is necessary. “Is there a cost?” “How much is it?” “Exactly how many times can I re-take this picture — my right eye is still twitching.”

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anon

(02/13/10 12:10pm)
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You can take the one you found back and get a $10 refund.

About Frosh In the City

From Catholic school to MSU, freshman staffer Emily Wilkins shares her first-year experiences in a co-ed, college environment. See her life outside the bubble as her freshman year unfolds.

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