I find it unacceptable that the U-pass office on campus refuses to waive the $12 fee on stolen U-passes. After being robbed at gunpoint on Thursday evening in Dinkytown, I was able to get new credit cards, bank cards, and U-cards free of charge. The U-pass office, however, denied my request for a new pass, even upon presenting the police report. Their rationale is that the University of Minnesota Police Department got annoyed with them when they asked to look up so many claims to verify the passes were indeed stolen. Because of this they stopped filling claims of stolen passes. Here is news to the U-pass office: UMPD is there to serve and protect University students. The plastic U-pass does not cost $12, they profit on each one replaced. It seems to me that MetroTransit and the U-pass office have a financial interest in students having their wallets stolen while staring down the barrel of a 9. So next time youâÄôre robbed on campus, remember the injustice perpetrated by the pathetic coercers in the streets will be matched swiftly by the officials in the U-pass office without exception. Evan Henke University student
Robbed, twice
Published November 10, 2008