Woman dodges £20k fee after finally returning Uni of Cambridge dorm key after 40 years

A University of Cambridge graduate finally returned her college accommodation key, 40 years after she left.

Carla Risoldi returned her absent room key to Gonville and Caius College whilst she was visiting from America.

She had been a six week summer school student back in 1985, and avoided the £20k late fine after finally returning it, BBC reports. 

For those who have incurred a fine for misplacing their room key, the paltry fee likely pales in comparison to the £20k that American student Carla Risoldi’s absent room key accumulated in the 40 years after her leaving the establishment, fortunately waived by Gonville and Caius College.

Carla had forgotten to return her room key when she flew back to the States in the 80s, where it would reside for four decades until she was finally able to return it during a trip to the UK.

According to the college, neglecting to return a key would ordinarily incur an initial fine of £10, with an interest rate of an additional £10 per week until it was returned. In Carla’s case, this would amass quite a sum indeed: “If we assume 40 years is 2,085 weeks, that’s a fine of £20,850”.

But fortunately for Carla, the college’s calculation was very much in jest: A spokesman clarified: “The fine – to cover the cost of cutting a new key – and any associated interest – was waived on this occasion and Carla, having returned the obsolete key, was presented with it as a memento of a glorious, formative summer”, adding “we’re quite friendly here”.

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (Image credit: Madeleine Wood)

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She returned the key to Caius’ senior porter John Turnton during her recent visit to the city. Carla, now an attorney in her home country, had been a student at the University of Pennsylvania, when she undertook the six week course through the University of New Hampshire.

Carla’s return prompted reminiscence on her time at Cambridge University, telling the BBC that “It opened up my eyes – I had never been anywhere”.

Featured Image Credit: Gonville & Caius College