College is the first time many students are out on their own financially, and many students can easily get into credit trouble.

Sandy Cox, assistant director of the counseling center, has put together a workshop that can help students keep from falling into credit debt.

Cox has brought Ivor Kiwi from MBNA America, a credit card company, to give the presentation, “Easy Money, Hard Consequences: Credit and Your Future” tonight at 7:30 in the Charleston/Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Cox said Kiwi plans on focusing his discussion on how to manage a credit card and how to avoid getting into trouble. He will also talk a little on the dangers of having a credit card, such as the charges that the credit card company charges when payments are late.

“(Kiwi) will also show (students) how to handle financial difficulty and how (students) can obtain their credit report,” Cox said.

The main idea that Cox said she hoped that students would learn from the workshop would be how to stay out of credit trouble in the first place in order to avoid all the financial difficulties that follow.

“People can underestimate the consequences of financial trouble,” Cox said.

The consequences that can come from credit difficulties are not only financial, Cox said. As the bills and charges rack up, they also can cause emotional difficulties. Cox sais she also hopes that students who attend the workshop can avoid both difficulties altogether.