University Policies Regarding Credit Card Solicitation
Universities are in a difficult position when it comes to credit card solicitation on their campuses. There are several things they have to think of, including, but not limited to, the welfare of their students. Administrators understand that students often get into financial trouble through their use of credit cards, but in some ways the administration’s hands are tied; college students are 18 or older, and therefore legally capable of making the decision whether to have a credit card. In addition, credit card companies often contribute large amounts of money to universities for the right to solicit on their campuses, and administrators are reluctant to alienate a source of income.
Different universities handle the presence of credit card companies and their solicitors in different ways. In some cases, the administrators make policies that affect the entire campus and all organizations on it, but in other cases the administration leaves the decision about credit card solicitation to some of the non-academic groups or buildings. These include student union, bookstores—either university owned or privately owned—alumni associations, and athletic structures such as stadiums or team complexes. Very few universities completely forbid credit card companies from soliciting altogether, but some do have very strict guidelines, such as allowing companies to distribute applications but not collect them on campus.
Some universities do not make decisions about credit card solicitation in the central administrative office, but rather leave that decision to each department. Therefore, both academic and non-academic departments can decide for themselves. This arrangement often works well, because some departments benefit from relationships with credit card companies. Alumni associations generally allow such solicitation, for example, because they have lucrative fund-raising partnerships with these companies.
The most controversial form of credit card solicitation is that which happens in student unions or main campus walkways. Credit card solicitors set up booths and several workers aggressively attempt to hand out applications, and if possible, to get students to fill them out right there at their table. Many of these booth-operators and distributors get paid by the application, and so have good reason to be aggressive. Yet many students feel unduly pressured to sign up for cards they might not yet be ready for. In some of these cases, universities allow these solicitors to practice because of other services that they offer, such as debt education, low interest rates, and special cards with the university’s logo.