BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) -- As classes start back at Northeast Mississippi Community College, visitors might notice something visible on about every student walking around campus: their student ID badge.
That's not by accident. It's a policy that started being enforced this semester.
"When I first got approached by a police officer, that's when I first found out about the policy," student Alexis Burt said.
The policy indicates students must keep their NEMCC ID badge in plain sight at all times.
Those who don't can face a warning.
"They give several warnings before they actually give a ticket. Once they hit you with the ticket, then you'll be fined $25," student Davorius James said.
One administrator at NEMCC said the policy is intended to be proactive: keeping students safe and non-students where authorities can see them.
It also means authorities can keep those without student IDs off campus, but again, the administrator said the primary concern is safety.
WTVA News tried to get two deans at NEMCC to talk on camera about the policy, but they declined.
The president of the community college could not be reached for comment either.
The students we talked to, though, said they empathize with the administration's desire for safety.
"I understand where they're coming from, the safety aspect of it, but I think they might be pushing it out of proportion a little," student Kurt Volking said. "The cost of the fine is a little too much, I believe."
Burt said some didn't want to wear the ID around their necks because it wasn't much of a fashion statement.
"[But] after they found out that everybody was getting fined $25, they wore it," Burt said, "They didn't like it at first, [though.]"
James cites another reason the fine isn't a good thing for students.
"College students, they have to pay a lot more," James said. "To add this fine to it, it makes a whole other problem."
That's a problem many are trying to avoid by simply following the rules.
An administrator at NEMCC said the policy change was not done to address any recent security concerns on campus, but to try and prevent future attempts.
