Statistics Canada cites that 45 per cent of undergraduates at universities carry debt, with an average of nearly $20,000. Those statistics surely refer to Canada Student Loans and student credit at banks. But librarians, barkeeps and video store clerks tell a story even more horrific than Statistics Canada.

Students regularly rack up large late fees at the University of Winnipeg library and at Movie Village, though apparently students are good at settling up at the end of a night of binge drinking.

“A lot of students do get library fines, especially at the beginning [of the year], because they don’t realize there are fines,” said Pat Russell, the circulation supervisor at the U of W library.

You’ll be paying 50 cents a day for most books and up to a dollar an hour for reserve material.

When a fine gets big enough the consequences are more serious.

“We send out a bill, and they can’t take out more books until the fine is cleared up,” Russell said.

English student Rebecca Peters tells a painful story of not returning her books on time. She had nearly 80 books out when she collected a $380 fine.

“I started getting these things in the mail, but I was ignoring them,” Peters said. “I had this drawer that I put all these letters in.”

Eventually, Peters’ fiancé convinced her to check on the overdue books. She was shocked by the amount and finally forced to settle up when her account at the university was locked and she couldn’t register for classes.

Avoidance is common strategy among young debtors. At Movie Village, it’s common practice for large late fines to go unpaid and for renters to never return.

The largest fine at Movie Village was $1,230, which caused the renter to disappear.

“He just never came back,” said Erin Crawley, a supervisor at the video store.

Fines at Movie Village will run you 50 cents for older films and $2.50 for new films. They were recently lowered out of courtesy, according to Crawley.

At Movie Village, Crawley exercises discretion when assessing fines and has the authority to lower or erase them based on circumstances.

“If [people with late fines] want to come back, Movie Village is lenient about working something out. I’m not going to make someone pay $200,” said Crawley, who has both movie rental and library fines herself.

Crawley’s authority is wielded with a certain amount of joviality, too.

“When people are dinkheads, you’re going to make them pay.”

Which movies get fines most frequently?

“Crappy action movies that people forget about. They forget they rent them, or forget to watch them, or forget they watched it,” Crawley said.

“People argue all the time. It’s like a sport. The best is when people try to talk their way out of a 50 cent late fine,” she added with a smug smile.

Fines have caused more serious grief at the video store. Police were called once when a patron became irate.

 

“ When people are dinkheads, you’re going to make them pay.

Erin Crawley, video store supervisor

Peters didn’t get irate or try to make excuses when paying her fines because she felt anxious over the gravity of the large debt.

“I went to the library and sat there trying to work up some courage, trying to figure out which librarian is the nicest,” she said.

When she eventually approached an amenable-looking clerk, he was quite familiar with her case.

“I said ‘I have a big fine,’ and he said ‘I know,’” Peters recalled. “I said ‘Can we make this less?’ I didn’t have any money.”

Because the fine was well over $100, little negotiating could be done. Peters ended up on a payment plan, made an initial $80 payment, but hasn’t followed up since.

“I just avoid, avoid, avoid and then hide,” she said.

Her fine wasn’t the largest at the U of W library though, where librarian Russell has seen a fine over $1,000.

Perhaps libraries and video stores can learn to control debt from their local pub. Cousins Deli, a famous student hangout, rarely has trouble with unpaid tabs.

“I feel very loved by my clientele – I’ve never had a problem,” said Yen Nguyen, the owner of Cousins. “People come back the next day and pay, or even six months later. They always remember.”

Nguyen cites mutual respect and mutual affection as reasons people are honest with their bar tabs. He claims to know 95 per cent of his clientele by their first name.

“People bring me business, and I give them something intangible – I get to know them,” Yen said.

Published in Volume 64, Number 4 of The Uniter (September 24, 2009)