LU institutes new fees this semester

Lamar students may notice two unfamiliar charges to their bill this semester.

Effective this spring, a $15 CardinalOne fee is included as part of tuition and fees.

Previously, there was no charge to have a CardinalOne card issued, but students were required to pay a fee of $25 if their card was lost or stolen.

CardinalOne office associate Isabel Molina said that the new fee is a result of students excessively losing their CardinalOne cards and having to pay the fine multiple times. She said that students will no longer be expected to pay a fine should they lose their card.

"It's now a state-mandated fee," Molina said. "I've been told not to charge for cards anymore. It's now part of tuition and fees."

Another change is a transcript fee. Prior to this semester, students were required to pay $5 for each transcript they requested. Now, a $12 records fee is included among the fees, and all students will receive five free transcripts. Each additional transcript will cost $5.

"It's something we've considered before, just because it makes processing easier for the students," David Short, Lamar associate registrar, said. "If you need a transcript, instead of having you fill out the request form and then go down and pay for it, it's one less step."

Short said that students will benefit from this fee.

"That's $12 to cover the cost of five transcripts, so you're coming out ahead if you get your five transcripts per semester," he said. "I think it probably evens out."

The transcript fee is only applicable to LU students. LIT students must continue to pay $5 for each transcript.

For more information, contact 880-8390.