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Aug. 25, 2005

Lost ULM ID Reminds Former Student of College Life

Incoming freshmen at the University of Louisiana at Monroe get their student identification cards made during their PREP (orientation) visit.

Student ID's get you everywhere on a college campus. At ULM, you get entrance to athletic events and the Activity Center, store discounts, meal tickets, options at the library, the ability to vote during campus elections, and many other opportunities.

However, if a student loses their ID card, they must report it lost or stolen to the SACS (Student Activity Control System) Office. Add to that a $10 fee for a lost ID and having to sit for another picture for the new digital instant ID, and a student experiences a process taking under five minutes total.

Rewind to 1965. Then-freshman Ann Lieber (the former Dorothy Ann Mann) lost her student ID. "I was devastated when I realized I had lost my ID," Lieber said. "I felt like I had committed a major crime, because we were told at orientation to never lose it."

"Having no idea of what to do and quaking in my shoes, I went to the Dean of Women's Office," said Lieber. "I thought you only went there if you were in big trouble. To my surprise, Miss Alma Lufcy was extremely sympathetic. She reassured me that I wasn't the only person that had lost their ID and walked me through the process to get a new one. I was so relieved when I left her office!"

And the process to get a new ID was a much lengthier one in 1965 and up until 1995. Elaine Stansell, Administrative Coordinator for SACS at ULM, remembers mailing new ID requests to New York. "It took several weeks in order for them to be shipped to Monroe, and sometimes by the time they got here, the semester was over," said Stansell.

Fast forward to the present day. Students still lose their ID's, but getting a replacement ID made at ULM is a snap. "It only takes a minute or two and is much better than the old method," said Stansell.

A construction crew recently found Lieber's ID stuck behind a desk in the now defunct Slater Hall. The ULM Alumni Association contacted Lieber to let her know of the find and to return the ID to her. She was happy to get the news and mentioned that thinking of her lost ID reminded her of life at Slater Hall.

"I remember being so excited when I learned I was going to be able to move into Slater Hall," said Lieber. "I had stayed in Nicholson and other old dorms and felt privileged to move into a brand new dorm."

Lieber has a daughter currently in college. She now sees a major difference in campus living from when she was in college. When Lieber attended, females could not wear pants or slacks on campus except for PE and in parts of the Student Center. Females even had to wear dresses or skirts in the dormitory lobbies. Boys were not allowed beyond the lobby. After dark, students were required to sign out at the lobby desk even if going to another destination on campus. Students had to sign out to go home for the weekend and had to have a note from their parents to go anywhere else, for example home with a roommate.

As for room amenities, cooking of any kind had to be in the communal dorm kitchen. No refrigerators or appliances were allowed. There were room checks every night, and students had to be in their rooms-down the hall was not acceptable.

"As you can tell, dorm life in those days was much different from today," said Lieber. "What I would have given for the (current) dorm rules in those days!"

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