Students fret over taxes

The real world is crashing in on many college students today. People across the country will be dashing to their local post offices to send away their tax forms to the Internal Revenue Service. And to their chagrin, many students are discovering that as young adults, they are not excluded from this yearly ritual. College and Engineering senior Amon Seagull said he filed his taxes last week. "It's something I definitely didn't want to do," Seagull said. "I was glad I hadn't waited longer." College senior Eric Stock also sent away his tax forms last week. He added that has mixed feelings about the IRS getting becoming more strict with their auditing. "The best thing about finishing was realizing you don't owe any more money," Stock said. "Too many people cheat on their taxes. It's okay, as long as they don't audit me." Stock also said that even though the IRS has changed the forms to make them easier, he has not seen much of a difference. And when asked if he had a party to celebrate paying his taxes -- as did many tax filers nationwide this year -- he responded that taxes are not something that puts him in the partying mood. "Anything with taxes doesn't really excite me," Stock added. College freshman Emiko Yohimatsu said that most taxes are taken out of her paycheck. She added that she is not worried about getting a refund because it would be miniscule. "It's not much of a problem," Yohimatsu said. "I don't have to write a check. If I were to get a refund it would be for about $5, so I don't ask for a refund." Engineering sophomore Ryan Crowell summed up a common observation about taxes. "Taxes are a necessary evil," he said. But some students are still sheltered from the bane of IRS forms. Several students interviewed said their parents filled out their taxes, so they really had no first-hand dealings with tax forms.