It's a common sight on campus: a group of students throw numbers back and forth, seeing who's highest. But these students are comparing not GPAs, test scores or even drinking ability. They are comparing credit card debt, the black plague of the college class.
Students choose to use credit cards, and choose to run them up. But when you're young and hard-up for money, when you're out on your own without your parent's help, when you've got bills to pay and things to do, do you really need a fellow student hassling you on the way to class, saying "Hey, man, it's a great deal, you just need to spend a few minutes filling out this form, and did I mention you also get a free T-shirt, or a two-liter of Coke?"
Is there not some moral responsibility involved in preying on the naive and irresponsible spenders of the world? Even the more responsible students don't understand the commitment they are making, and often can't learn the terms of the card until it comes in the mail.
What makes the credit card hawking trend particularly disturbing is that, by and large, it is students serving as the pitchmen. Credit card booths are a popular form of fund-raising among student organizations.
Charlie Scofield, who schedules Scramble Light space, said there are some solicitation guidelines, but they are rarely followed. Among other things, solicitors needs to stay behind their tables, rather than waving a clipboard in your face as you walk by.
If you're involved in a student organization that hawks credit cards, we at least ask you to take some basic responsibility for your actions. Don't be pushy. Play by the rules. And most of all, think about what you're doing.
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