Everyone knows how easy it is to forget something as simple as your Residence Hall Entry Card when you are out having a good time. However, many do not realize the consequences they will face when trying to reenter residence halls without it. The fine for not having your Residence Hall Card when trying to reenter the residence hall buildings is $25 after 11 p.m. (even if you have your OneCard).

It may not seem like a lot of money to some, but over time, repeated offenses will add up. We should not be forced to pay every time we forget our Residence Hall Card; instead, we should be allowed to show our OneCard, which will prove we are students of NIU.

New students experience a culture shock when realizing how much responsibility they have in college when compared to high school. They are more likely to forget or not be as responsible with their Residence Hall Card; therefore they are more likely to be fined. New students claim it is unfair to punish students for accidents.

“I do not see the purpose to it [fining students]. People forget things all the time, especially when rushing out,” said Tiara Cole, freshman business and management major and resident of Douglas Hall.

Some can argue it is the responsibility of students to keep up with all forms of identification, but many see the Residence Hall Card as pointless.

“Showing a Residence Hall Card is unnecessary,” said Tamyia Travis, freshman biology major and Grant resident. “Students should only have to show one form of identification just like guests to NIU.”

But it can be argued that these cards are used for the protection of students as well.

“If we did not have the Residence Hall Cards, anyone could roam the floors that they do not live on and potentially be a threat to people who do live there. Many people find ways of getting around safety measures put in place to prevent this from happening during the day, Why would you want to put students at risk at night?” said Tatanne Butler, freshman English major and Stevenson resident.

This may be true, but the responsibility of carrying both cards seems redundant. Surely there is another way to verify a student’s residence.

“If the point of the Residence Hall Card and fines are to avoid the long process of finding out where a student lives at NIU, why not just color coordinate OneCards so it signifies the building a student is staying in,” Travis said.

This change would save the University money. But what about people who do not live in on/off-campus apartments and are enrolled at NIU?

All students, including those who do not live in residence halls, should be allowed access to residence hall buildings after hours. Especially when considering places such as the Founders Memorial Library close significantly earlier this year.

“It [Founder’s Memorial Library] closes at midnight, Monday through Thursday and Sundays, and closes at 10 P.M on Friday and Saturday,” said Byron Anderson, professor and former interim Dean of Public Libraries. “Last year, it was open until 2:30 a.m., but due to budget cuts and low attendance rates, we had to shorten the times.”

Since a huge part of the library time changes deal with the school budget, why not use funds received from fining students to keep the library open? If not, public places, like this library, will no longer be able to provide students with late night getaways from their home. In knowing this, the only other ideal place for escape, whether to use the computer facilities or to relax in the lobby areas, would be the residence halls. But without this Residence Hall Card, students of NIU who do not live in dorms are condemned to miss out on these opportunities.

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