Bursar practice could result in fraud

Some Norwich University students have expressed concern over a policy at the Bursar's Office that seems to have become standard procedure.

According to Bursar Robert Doyon, when students who are members of the Corps of Cadets cash a check they are not required to show any form of identification other than their nametag.

"The practice is that we need to identify that the student is a Norwich student. If they are with the corps they are in uniform and they have a nametag, and we go on that basis and usually after a while we get to know them," Doyon said. "With civilians we require an ID."

Joel Sweetster, 19, a sophomore architecture major from Rumford, Maine, is a civilian student who believes that an identification check should be mandatory for all Norwich students who wish to cash a check at the Bursar's Office.

"What is different between a civilian student and a corps student besides the uniform?" Sweetster said.

According to Doyon the bursar has never received any complaints about the office failing to check for identification; however, many corps students have expressed concern on the matter.

"As much as we want to believe that the honor code here at Norwich works, it doesn't because there are cadets here who do not abide by the code," said Brittney Schlauch, 20, a junior communications major from Boca Raton, Fla., and a member of the Corps of Cadets.

"I think they should check our IDs just to be safe, especially with all the burglaries on campus in the past month," she said.

Joseph Perez, 20, a sophomore communications major from Manahawkin, N.J., is a member of the corps and has never had his ID checked by the Bursar's Office.

"Anyone could put a different nametag on. You should have an ID on you to prove that the check is yours," Perez said.

Not all members of the corps are bothered by this matter. Felicia Jones, 19, a sophomore biology major from Sherburne, N.Y., does not think the Bursar's Office should request to see identification for members of the corps.

"If you have your nametag on and you're cashing a check for a person with the same name then I don't think it's an issue." Jones said.

"If someone forges your check they might end up with the money but eventually they're going to find out that somebody cashed the wrong check and they're going to figure out who did it so I don't think it's an issue." Jones said.

Students said they would be OK if the bursar decided to check IDs for every student. "I think the standards should be the same for both corps and civilian students alike," Perez said.