Earlier this month, officials at the University of Alaska’s Anchorage campus gave students an amusing way to pay off their parking tickets: peanut butter and jelly. In lieu of cash payments, students could provide peanut butter or jelly to cover their fines. The food would then go to other students in need. That’s a nice enough idea, but there are some definite problems with the exchange rate:

Officials say two 16-ounce (454-gram) jars offer a $10 credit, three jars offer a $35 credit and five jars offer a $60 credit.

Working out the math, that means one jar is worth three different amounts:

• $5: At the $10 credit level, $10/2 jars = $5.

• $11.67: At the $35 credit level, $35/3 jars ≈ $11.67.

• $12: At the $60 credit level, $60/5 jars = $12.

The difference between the $35 credit level and the $60 credit level is minimal enough, but you’re really getting screwed at the $10 level. Given how much everything costs in Alaska, it seems possible students would actually be losing money if they’re only getting $5 per jar.