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Inklings News

“Call me and tell me what you’re wearing. Then, you’re going to meet me on 60 East 14th in front of Nordstrom’s. You’ll hand me the envelope, and you’ll be on your way.”

A spy movie? Nope. It’s how Staples students get fake IDs.

As students reach their upperclassmen years, they find that more and more of their peers have false identification.

“Almost all of the upperclassmen have them, but freshmen and sophomores are starting to get them as well,” Brooke Berlin, ’14 said.

With this increase in the number of students obtaining fake IDs, there are more sketchy stories to tell. One of Brooke Berlin’s friends went into the city to get a fake ID and came home feeling a little shaken up.

“They had talked a few times on the phone and he had given her an avenue and street number to meet on. She met him, and he said let’s take a walk. She had to hand him the stuff without being obvious. Then she met him there a few hours later to pick up the IDs in the same secretive way… He could have easily ripped her off and taken the hundreds she had given him, or even worse, hurt her,” Berlin said.

Not only was this experience sketchy, but it was also a little scary. No matter where a student gets an ID from, there is always the risk of getting caught by parents or worse, the police.

A study of 1,098 students at the University of Missouri found that about 30 percent of participants had been caught with false identification.

“It’s risky in the city because the sellers could be unreliable and dangerous. It’s also risky online, though, because you have to ship it somewhere so it’s relatively easy to get caught by either parents or even some sort of law enforcement,” a junior boy who wished to remain anonymous said.

Students often make the decision to pick up their IDs themselves, to avoid the risk of somebody intercepting it in the mail. By having IDs shipped, students run the risk of their parents opening the package.

“One of my friends was supposed to pick up his ID but ended up having to get it shipped to his house. He came home from school, and there was a package at his door, and the tape was broken. He didn’t know if it was a postman or his mom or dad or something. He was so lucky he didn’t get in trouble,” Chris Mombello ’14 said.

The bottom line?

Fake IDs are risky to get and illegal.

 

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About the Contributor
Eliza Yass, Web Opinions Editor

Eliza Yass ’14 is not your average cheerleader. On the field, she gets spectators pumped up at football games. But off the field, her engaging opinion pieces give them the scoop on controversial issues.

Yass discovered her passion for writing opinion pieces last year in the Advanced Journalism class. Ever since then, she has been speaking her mind, loud and proud, on everything from Apple software to fake ID’s.

“I’m a really opinionated person,” Yass admitted with a laugh, adding that she doesn’t get much heat for her articles other than the occasional online comments.

The articles she is most proud of are the ones that cover hot-button issues, such as Plan B contraceptives for teens and last year’s incident with the racy posters at the Pink football game.

And while most Staples students fret about typical high school drama, Yass worries about more substantial social issues, such as serving the needy and defending the disadvantaged.

“Opinions cause social change,” said Yass, and it is clear she really cares about making a difference, not only by writing about hot topics but also by advocating for change.

In her spare time, Yass volunteers with STAR, a Norwalk-based organization that serves individuals with developmental disabilities. She hopes to continue spreading justice in the future by promoting social change through law or journalism.

There is no doubt that Yass will bring lots of pep, pompoms, and perspective to her last year on the Inklings staff.

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