Miami University

MU: $25 ID not needed

05/04/1998

OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami University is joining other colleges and universities nationwide in warning next year's freshmen that they are not required to buy a $25 "identification card" being promoted by a private company.

Several confused parents and students have called the university seeking advice after receiving a mailing from the National College Registration Board (NCRB), a private firm in Princeton, N.J.

An April 8 letter, reportedly mailed to 1.5 million high school seniors nationwide by NCRB, states that "the campus card is the student identification card issued to all registered college students" and "is required" for "many services and purchasing privileges at whatever college or university your student chooses to attend."

"That's nonsense," said Holly Wissing, a university spokeswoman. "Miami, like most universities, issues its own student identification cards to new students. And there is no charge for id cards unless a student is replacing a lost card."