Syracuse University did not consider its entire student body when making the decision to add a new, more expensive technology feature to Syracuse University ID cards. Since the new technology can only be used in Dineen Hall and the Green Data Center, a majority of students will only be affected by this change when they have to replace their ID card for a steeper price. The university should update all of its buildings so the technology is used, or it should not make all students pay a greater price for replacement ID cards.

Students must now pay $25 for their first replacement ID, and then $40 for replacements after that, which are $10 and $15 increases from last year, respectively. The increase in price is due to the cost of a radio-frequency chip that allows students and faculty to enter locked doors without having to take out their ID cards. Currently, the only two places on campus that use this technology are Dineen Hall and the Green Data Center.

If the technology was being applied to central locations on campus, such as Schine Student Center or Bird Library, forcing all students to have new ID cards would be more logical.

To rationalize the increased price of ID cards, SU should have concrete goals for implementing the technology in all buildings on campus where it is needed. If the university did not have the option to only distribute the new ID cards to the students and faculty that required the cards, it should have developed a timeline to update all of the buildings on campus with the new technology.

It isn’t fair to charge more money than previous years if students do lose their cards when the reason for the increase does not affect most of the university. SU should consider its whole student population when making decisions like these, and it should start updating all campus buildings.