Amanda Salazar raises an excellent point about inconsistency in information regarding fees to obtain and reactivate alumni cards. I hope Baruch College administrators will learn about this issue and make requisite amendments.

I am, however, not convinced by Salazar’s argument regarding the fairness of the charge. Alumni are not mandated to obtain alumni ID, so those who find the $20 charge exorbitant can choose not to get an ID.

It is fair to both current and former students that alumni be expected to pay for the alumni ID. Baruch has more than 15,000 matriculated students. If alumni IDs were made free and alumni given the same level of access as current students, the stress on Baruch’s limited infrastructure would grow — and consequently, neither students nor alumni would be able to fully enjoy Baruch’s facilities. It is also worth noting that current students pay technology and student activity fees to access many of these facilities — and they certainly pay more than $20 a year. If anything, $20 is a fair price.

It is possible that $20 may be a tall order for many alumni, for the reasons that Salazar rightly points out. It is incumbent upon Baruch administrators to recognize limits to their services for alumni and to guide former students to avail themselves of the services of the public library system. The Ticker can certainly help disseminate that information.