A student ID card policy implemented at Loyola University New Orleans has been the cause of some frustration. The policy, which took effect back in January, fines students who fail to present a Loyola ID when entering a campus residence hall.

As reported by The Maroon, students that fail to present a valid Loyola Express Card will receive a warning for the first offense, with a $15 fine being charged to their account for any subsequent incidents. Per the Loyola University New Orleans website, all students are required to carry their Express Card with them at all times. Resident students must identify themselves upon entry to any residence hall.

The ID card policy was implemented to improve campus safety and better regulate access to residence halls. Resident students first use their Express Cards for electronic door access at perimeter entrances. Once inside, students must show their ID card and building sticker denoting their residence to the desk assistant on duty each time they enter the residence hall.

Amy Boyle, director of residential life at Loyola, told The Maroon that the ID card policy technically permits the university to charge students as much as $100 for an initial violation of the rule, and $150 for each subsequent offense with a university conduct hearing. But the fines have been adjusted to more reasonable levels in practice.

“We adjusted that rather than pushing students through the conduct process for failure to show an ID to incur a $100 fine," Boyle said in a Maroon interview. "We feel it is more realistic to start at a lower threshold and reserve conduct hearings and larger fines for more severe breaches of the policy violation.”

The idea behind the policy is to both better lock down access to campus residences, as well as help to hold the campus community accountable in keeping student IDs in possession at all times. Boyle said that the effects of the fine policy are still in the data collection phase, but that less than ten fines have been issued to date.