It is not unusual for 15 to 20 students to report to the Eagle Card office everyday because they’ve lost or damaged their N.C. Central University Eagle cards.

And each one can expect to pay a $20 fee to replace the card issued at registration.

Replacement cards are expensive for a number of reasons.

According to Tim Moore, interim director of auxiliaries and business services, processing the card and programming the magnetic strip is costly.

Also, the cards that provide access to residential halls, contain a computer chip.

“The $20 is not there to make money,” said Moore.

Once reported lost, the cards are terminated and can’t be reactivated.

But what happens when your card works in some locations but not others?

That’s what happened to health and physical education junior Nadia Hayes and nursing sophomore Rachel Lloyd.

Their cards worked everywhere — except their dorms.

“I just try my card as best as I can until someone comes to let me in or my card miraculously works,” said Hayes.

According to Moore, if a card is not lost and is not obviously damaged, a replacement will be issued for free.

“If the card is not defaced or scratched, and it’s intact, then it’s a configuration problem,” he said. “We will take responsibility for that and replace it free of charge.”

Moore said the cards were designed to last four years.

But determining whether the card has been damaged by a student or is simply not working can be tricky, as Hayes and Lloyd found out when they were asked to pay a $20 fee to replace their cards.

“If you lose your card, that’s being reckless, but if the card works for everything on campus except the dorm, then that’s not your fault,” said Hayes.

“I shouldn’t have to pay for a replacement before the year’s end,” said Lloyd.

Moore is confident that these problems are not typical.

He urged students to come in and sort the problems immediately.

According to Eagle card office manager Farida Azam, “people need to report cards lost immediately so that any funds on the card are not jeopardized,” Azam said.

But the biggest worry. according to Moore, is security.

When a card is lost, someone other than the student might get access to the student’s dorm.

“We want to encourage students to become more responsible,” said Moore.

Students can expect to rely more and more on their Eagle cards in the future.

According to Azam, 94 vending machines will accept Eagle Card payments by the summer, reducing students’ need to carry around cash.

Also in the works is a feature that allows students to “talk to” their cards using Banner.