It was a chilly Sunday morning in October. Realizing I’d spent the greater portion of my weekend neglecting my studies, I began rummaging through my notebooks when something I saw sent me into a paroxysm: I found myself staring down at the unforgiving binding of a ‘two-hour reserve book’ I had inadvertently taken out of the Library the Thursday prior.

Hoping to resolve the unintended infraction, I rushed off to the Glenn G. Bartle Library with great haste.

Upon my arrival, I was accosted by the lady working at the circulation-out desk and attempted to explain my situation to her. Her eyes darted uneasily from her colleagues back to me with a pitying glance. The reaction seemed unusual and somewhat disturbing, for all that I had done was hold onto a book longer than I was supposed to.

My high school library would punish such offenses with a 10-cent-per-day fine. Clearly this would not be the case here at Binghamton. When the librarian told me the amount owed, I nearly broke out into hysterics. ‘Fifty dollars,’ she asserted coldly. I strongly pleaded my case and narrowly persuaded the librarian to spare me a trip to the ATM. She said that she would make an exception because it was my first fine, but admonished me that next time there would be no leniency.

Universities have become increasingly willing to charge their students hidden fees that are exorbitant and compound the burden of rising tuition costs. According to an article in The New York Times, public universities in particular have become notorious for assessing obscure charges in order to compensate for decreased state funding.

The most recent data, published in 2005, indicates that extra basal fees have risen as much as 8 to 11 percent for the use of technology, health centers and student activities, to name a few. At this rate, the fiscal benefits of attending a public university like Binghamton University will become eclipsed by the growing need to extort university patrons. The truth of the matter is the fine that I had accumulated was probably well beyond the tattered, relatively low-demanded book’s actual value.

Students at universities should not have to be subjected to unforeseen and outrageous expenses at every turn. University policies that use monetary punishment as a deterrent for innocuous mistakes and charge unusual amounts for student services that were formerly free are simply unfair. It is a self-serving and onerous practice that I believe should be abrogated from institutional use. If a university is struggling so badly for additional needed funds, it is a matter that should be taken up with the state ‘ the shortcomings should not be satisfied by dipping into the students’ pockets.

And lest administrations forget, we’ll experience enough difficulty in paying back student loans and credit card interest without having the prospect of unreasonable fines looming over our heads.