Faking it: how some students hit the bar early

By day, Tara is a 5-foot-10-inch, 20-year-old Pitt junior. But by night, she’s often known as… By day, Tara is a 5-foot-10-inch, 20-year-old Pitt junior. But by night, she’s often known as Nisha, a mere 5 feet tall and 23 years old.

There is a simple reason for the difference in age and height between Tara and her alter ego: Nisha is the name on Tara’s fake ID.

Tara acquired the ID during her senior year of high school, when a friend offered to sell it to her for about $30. Nisha is a real person, and at the time of purchase, her ID was a valid New York driver’s license.

The ID has since expired, though Tara changed the original “1998” to “2000” using a colored pencil, a process referred to as “chalking.” She also chalked the height to read 6 feet, closer to her true stature.

“It’s an art form,” Tara said of her modifications.

Using the driver’s licenses of older friends or siblings is one of the ways in which underage students at Pitt and universities across the country procure false identification.

Students with access to computer programs such as Photoshop and high-quality printers may create their own IDs. Web sites such as www.photoidcards.com sell “souvenir” IDs, advertising “genuine security holograms and seals for positive proof.”

Brian, a 20-year-old Pitt junior, described himself as lucky to have an older friend who shares Brian’s height, weight and eye color. Last fall, Brian’s friend gave him his Ohio driver’s license.

Brian uses his ID mainly to go to bars and clubs.

“I usually don’t even drink there because the drinks are so expensive. But [I use the ID] just to go,” he said.

The prospect of getting caught doesn