Following the recent increases in campus security at Columbia University, Columbia Public Safety has again announced a major change to the checkpoint system around campus. In addition to the existing requirement for students to scan in with their Columbia or Barnard College ID, students’ ID photos will now be assessed on a scale of “chopped” to “not chopped” before entry through any safety checkpoint is allowed.
“Some of these photos we’ve been getting, they’re just ridiculous,” explains Gerald Lewis Jr., Vice President of the Public Safety department. “I mean, the students themselves are just fine. But some of them have the most unbelievable ID photos—like, learn to take a picture man.”
A Public Safety officer interviewed for the article expanded on the issue, stating “You guys know your pictures pop up on our screens, right? Max resolution, 2500×1800, fully plastered across the monitor. I don’t wanna see all that every time you need to enter through the main gate, or go back into your dorm.”
Columbia Public Safety officers will be receiving guides for assessing ID photo “choppedness” as of the start of next week. These social credit scores will include criteria such as lighting, background, and the extent to which the student in question looks like they’re being held at gunpoint.
In response to the changes, the ID Center announced on Tuesday that it will be tripling the price for student ID reprints effective immediately.
