It’s a Friday night in your friend’s dorm room and you’re pregaming harder than most people party. The JC Westside will be leaving in 10 minutes, so you hand your learner’s permit and colored pencils to your most sober friend. She quickly changes your birth year from 1990 to 1980, and you think you’re all set for a night Downtown.

Fake IDs are a common staple for Binghamton University students. How else are you going to get into Tom & Marty’s and play drunken Jenga? But the normality of it all causes students to forget how serious of a crime having a fake ID can be.

“There’s plenty of them out there,” Investigator Dennis P. Bush of Binghamton’s New York State University Police said.

Most students have a tendency to believe that having a fake ID is worse than chalking your own. While altering your own ID could be considered a violation of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, and having an actual fake ID could be either a misdemeanor a felony charge, this is not always the case.

“Technically you can be charged with the same thing for both,” Bush said. “And if your ID is out-of-state, you could receive a penal charge.”

The actual possible charges for having a fake ID are a misdemeanor, possession of a forged document in the third degree, with a maximum punishment of up to a year in prison, or a felony, possession of a forged document in the second degree, with a maximum punishment of two to seven years in prison. The arresting officer may use his or her discretion when charging an individual, though campus police tend to use the lesser charge.

Using an ID of someone who is actually 21 to get into a bar would be given a separate charge depending on the circumstances, although expired IDs should not be accepted by a bar as lawful identification, according to Bush.

Joycy Samson, a sophomore biology major, thinks that students should remember how severe having a fake ID actually is.

“Students don’t consider (having a fake ID) to be a big deal, but it is a felony,” Samson said. “I think people should keep that in mind when they’re going Downtown.”

However, if you are found with a fake ID on campus, not only will you be charged by the police, but you will also be referred to Judicial Affairs, whose main objective is to educate students. You can only be referred to Judicial Affairs if the incident occurred on campus or if it is an extreme crime, such as theft, drug dealing or aggravated assault.

Gabriel Rief, the assistant director of Judicial Affairs at Binghamton, says that the possession of fake IDs is something he sees a lot of in Binghamton — there have been 33 instances this year alone.

“I’ve been at four institutions, both as a student and as staff, and fake IDs appear to be significantly more prevalent here at Binghamton than anywhere else,” Reif said. “There’s a culture in certain bars in Binghamton that don’t screen IDs in a very thorough way, and that fosters an environment where people (feel confident using an ID). My understanding here in Binghamton is that it’s a golden ticket.”

Students caught with a fake ID on campus for the first time are usually charged with two years probation and 20 hours of community service on campus, though if they are caught a second time, they can be suspended for a year.

Ways to reduce the number of fake IDs on campus include preventative education classes, fostering relationships with bars Downtown or lowering punishments for drinking on campus. In 2007, there were 167 disciplinary referrals and nine arrests regarding the campus’ Liquor Law Violation.

“If we lowered the sanctions, maybe students would be less likely to go Downtown, but we don’t want people drinking on campus either,” Rief explained. “I don’t think we’re going to be lightening the sanctions any time soon. I think we’re pretty happy with those.”

However, some students, such as Dan Talamo, a freshman chemistry major, believe that this is a bit harsh.

“Partying and socializing is part of the college experience and the school needs to acknowledge that,” Talamo said.