An Outrageous Mandate

GCC’s new ID policy aids technological addiction. 

By John Hatzis

 

EiC’s Note: This article was originally published by The Collegian on March 13, 2026. CheckPoint News edited this article to match its style guidelines and cross-posted it here with permission.

 

The Collegian’s March 13 article “College switching to digital IDs” was the most shocking and alarming story I have ever encountered during my time at Grove City College. 

Grove City’s new ID policy will have radical implications for students and staff. Starting Oct. 5, physical identification cards will no longer work. The school will require students to always have their phone on their person to complete basic tasks. 

Every student will need to have their phone on hand to enter their dorm, eat, pick up a package, check out a library book, print documents and even scan into chapel. 

 

Negative Effects

The college’s plan to require all students to bring their phones to chapel is particularly disheartening. The chapel program already struggles to keep students from being distracted by their cellular devices during the service.

I understand why the students are on their devices in chapel. Phones are designed to be addictive. Massive corporations have spent millions researching how to maximize temptation for young people. It can be hard to go 45 minutes resisting the urge to check texts or scroll on social media.  

To resist the temptation to go on their phones, many students leave their phones behind when they go to chapel. Grove’s new ID policy will make that responsible act no longer possible. 

The new ID policy is, in effect, an “always online” mandate. Some students already feel they cannot go through life without their phones: Starting Oct. 5, all students will, quite literally, be unable to go through life without their phones. (READ MORE: Listening to God’s Word in a Noisy World)

 

Limited Exceptions

By far the most alarming and grotesque portion of the new policy regards exceptions to the “always online” mandate. According to the March 13 article, the main criteria for exemptions will be for those who lack a compatible device — and even they will have to pay a fee. 

Never mentioned in the exceptions section is personal conscience. If I ever did a technological fast on say, Sunday (a fast, by the way, I have been required do as part of my Introduction to Ethics course), I would be forced to forego my meal swipes on the Sabbath. In fact, after going to church, I would not be able to get back into my dorm. Would Information Technology Services grant me an exemption to the “always online” rule, or must even techno-skeptic Christians be forced to bend the knee to the almighty iPhone? (READ MORE: The Promise of the American Dream)

Not to put too fine a point on it, but as someone freed by Christ from slavery to sin, I am not terribly keen to become a slave to my iPhone. Sneaking this policy into effect without consulting the student body at large is unprofessional. Allowing no exceptions for those who object to being “always online” and fining those who lack a “compatible device” (which can often be for financial reasons) is unjust. 

 

Being Charitable and Bold

I know many people who are deeply disturbed by this new policy and are seeking to be charitable to staff while standing firm in their convictions. We love this place and the people in it (if you don’t believe me, please flip to Perspectives). My criticism here is, truly, not meant personally. As Proverbs says: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (LISTEN MORE: Eras and Icons: Heroes of Christian Faith)

That said, there is a time to be congenial to changes we may not approve of, and there is a time to be bold. Now is the time to be bold. If we cannot be bold with the little things, we cannot expect to be bold with the big things. 

To Information Technology Services: I will never get Crimson Card+. Never. I do not plan to pay the college’s “conscience tax” either, but if that is what I must do to evade Grove City’s new “always online” mandate, it is a price worth paying. 

 

 

About the Author

John Hatzis is an English major with minors in Classical Christian Education, History, Philosophy, and Political Science. He is a Marketing Fellow with the Institute, with interests in faith-based education and the role of traditional Christianity in the arts and popular culture.

He has interned with several political campaigns and has served as a junior counselor at Boys State, a civics education program, for three years. On campus, he hosts the Colloquium, a podcast sponsored by Cogitare Magazine, serves as Perspectives Editor of The Collegian, and is Vice President of the campus Intercollegiate Studies Institute chapter. After graduation, he seeks to pursue a career in Christian education.

LISTEN MORE BY JOHN HATZIS: Welcome to Season Five of Liberty Mail

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer alone and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grove City College, the Institute for Faith and Freedom, or their affiliates.

Cover Image: Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash

Captioned Image 1: The Collegian (Cropped)