You can always count on this university to botch just about anything.

If you haven’t noticed yet, the university is finally starting to mail validation stickers for student ID cards. The stickers are used as proof that a student is currently enrolled in the university and is entitled to all the privileges and services of a fee-paying student: riding the Huskie buses, getting into sporting events, check cashing, using the Rec-Center, etc.

NIU Bursar Richard Cochrane said the delay is due to the vendor being a month late in completing the order. So here we are, half finished with the semester and the stickers are just starting to be distributed. Students no doubt will be pleased there soon will be no need to carry around worn, crumpled schedules to prove enrollment.

But this situation is far from being remedied.

One has to wonder why the university decided to accept delivery of the stickers after finding they would not arrive until a few weeks before the end of the semster. The university could have saved some money by telling the vendor to “stick” the stickers, because delivery was so late. Students have been carrying schedules for so long, a few more weeks wouldn’t make much difference.

One also must wonder why the university does not have at least a year’s supply of the stickers made-up months in advance of when they are needed. After all, most printers tend to charge lower prices for large orders with some flexibility in turn-around time.

But no, that might be fiscally prudent and require advance planning.