Being a student is hard, but it is even harder when you have to constantly pay for everything school related.
At approximately 3:48 p.m., I arrived at the USI Rice Library for a group study session with a few classmates had planned.
My laptop is seventeen inches, so I decided to rent one from the library.
I filled out a form like I did the past few times, not even thinking about the issues that might arise.
The student worker handed me the Macbook, then stated that it had to be back at 7:48, and nothing else.
We went on studying and working on homework for the next four hours.
It was eight o’clock before I realized my laptop was late.
I rushed downstairs knowing that there would be some kind of consequence involved.
I arrived at the front desk, and a different student worker helped me after tripping on her shoes.
She stated that I was late and I owed $24. My only response was, “You’re kidding, right?”
She was not kidding.
She said that it was a dollar for every minute after the time it was due.
It is ridiculous.
Every student pays for their tuition. Paying the Rice Library is covered in our fees, so it is out of the question to pay one dollar a minute.
It is like we are getting punished because we were too busy doing our homework.
That fee is even more outrageous due to the fact that we cannot even take the laptops out of the library; it will be in that building no matter how late it is.
This is the first time I feel like USI is trying to drain every cent out of our pockets.
Is paying the ten cents to print not enough?
At least make it more clear to students that there is a late fee because I have never heard a worker state that fact.
Or better yet, send us a ten minute warning so we know our laptops are due.