On college campuses, credit cards are about as ubiquitous as iPods and Motorola Razr cell phones. Whether it's for $300 worth of textbooks or an $8 salad, an increasing number of students flash MasterCard instead of the cold hard cash. Unfortunately, the attractive get-now-pay-later aspect of credit cards comes with a very ugly downside - mounting student debt.

The numbers confirm what most students already know. The Center for American Progress, a Washington-based think tank, reported the median debt for young adults in their 20s rose to $21,070 in 2004, a 33-percent increase from 1995. A study by Nellie Mae, a major student loan provider, found that three out of four college students own credit cards, and more than 40 percent of students own at least four cards. In 2003, Nellie Mae also found that 31 percent of college students have credit card balances between $3,000 and $7,000. Paying down thousands of dollars in debt is not easy, but often interest rates make the task seem impossible. Many cards that cater to students do so at astronomically high rates - often above 20 percent.

The numbers above hardly paint the picture of financial freedom and liberating personal spending that credit companies panhandle to na've undergrads in their vigorous campaigns to reach out to the college-age population. With their lack of financial experience, generally low level of financial knowledge and tendency to overspend, college students are a lucrative target for such companies. Credit card marketers have become sneakier and more aggressive. They reach out to students by phone, e-mail, snail mail and even by giving away free T-shirts or pizza.

In front of a bookstore at the University of California at Berkeley, a marketer for Discover Financial recently used the promise of free pizza to sign students up for credit card accounts without disclosing interest rates or terms. The marketer instructed the students to fill out the forms. If accepted, they would get the card and terms in the mail later on. Many hungry college students blindly registered for the card, but the satisfaction of a free slice of pizza quickly fades in the face of high interest rates, expensive monthly fees and thousands of dollars worth of debt.

Credit card companies are becoming more successful at manipulating student inexperience because many students do not know how to responsibly manage money. This, however, is not entirely students' fault. The University should help develop a financially savvy student body. The Career Center helps students with res