As a college student at Northern Kentucky University, I am in need of money everywhere I turn. College students take out loans or use credit cards in order to insure there future. Others need credit cards to be approved to buy a car. Credit and loans were ethically sound in 1730 when first thought of, but now I am concerned because the end does not justify the means.

Have you ever heard the term arbitration clause? Probably not, like Troy Cornock of New Hampshire. It’s one of those clauses written in tiny print at the bottom of your credit card contract. According to an article on forbes.com, Cornock’s ex-wife made charges using his MBNA credit card, yet when the case was taken to court the MBNA credit card company was awarded $9,446.85, the amount she had charged. This is just one of literally thousands of instances in which the credit card industry has flushed the constitution-and the requirement for due process of law-down the commode.

If that’s not bad enough companies are using college students as their own campaign bunnies. In a journal article written by George Reise it states that fliers hang from University walls stating students can make 500-1000 by just getting completed applications from other students for cards and turning them in. However, when they go to get their pay it’s the credit card companies don’t own up stating many of the applications were not completed. Although the students know this is not true, they have no way to prove otherwise.

Credit card companies don’t seem to be holding very good ethical standards. Maybe the best way credit card companies can improve their image is to provide specific educational opportunities to students when they fill out credit applications. Right now it seems credit card companies only have three objectives in mind: Sign you up, don’t let you quit, and keep you spending.

Jodi Smith criminal justice ‘ political science sophomore