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Dalhousie University has given its DalCard a facelift as part of the institution's bicentennial celebrations. The new design reflects both the creative platform of the upcoming 200th anniversary celebrations and the goals and growth of the Dalhousie community.

The DalCard is the official ID card for faculty, staff and students at Dalhousie, and serves as a debit card, library card, print, transit and laundry card, as well as physical access to campus buildings. The redesign is the result of a collaboration between Ancillary Services, which manages DalCard, and Communications and Marketing (Design Services).

“The rising sun in the anniversary logo mark reflects how we want to celebrate inspiration and achievement, but also aspiration and our collective goals,” says Luke Smith, the card design creator. “The ‘daybreak’ of Dalhousie’s third century gives us opportunity to pause and think all that we as an institution have achieved together, and ponder how we can continue to do better by building on the energy, excitement and ambition that drives us to do our best each and every day.”

The card redesign will also do away with the variable card designs that were previously used to delineate between various cardholder types -- faculty, staff and students. The new design will be consistent across the entire Dalhousie community, as well across both the university's Halifax and Truro campuses.

“The new DalCard reflects an effort towards greater consistency amongst the entire Dalhousie population,” says Kate Somers, manager of DalCard business operations. “It also unifies our card design as we move forward into the 200-year celebrations."

The new card design began its issuance earlier this month, and will be “limited edition” design until its retirement in December 2018. Until that point, all new Dalhousie students and staff will receive the bicentennial design. Replacement DalCards, or cards for those who want the special edition design, will need to purchase one at a cost of $15.

Per the DalCard website, the last card redesign occurred some 10 years ago the image on the face of our DalCard has been updated. The total run time for the new card design will July 2017 through December 2018, during which all new DalCards issued will feature the 200th anniversary design.

The features and functions of the DalCard will remain unchanged. DalCards with the former design will continue to work and be accepted as normal.

Following a two-year research period, Dartmouth Dining Services has deployed “Green2Go” reusable takeout containers in its campus dining facilities. The new program replaces the previous disposable to-go containers.

As reported by student publication, The Dartmouth, the university dining services had tried various other solutions to cut back on food waste in its dining facilities including changing portion sizes and encouraging students to not overfill their plates.

Those responsible for the new Green2Go program found that some 400 to 600 containers were used each dining period. A pilot program was then launched last July with the assistance of a $1,000 grant from the Dartmouth Outing Club’s Environmental Studies Division.

Participation in the “Green2Go” program requires a one-time buy in of $4, which covers a student's first reusable container at the university's Class of 1953 Commons. Students can then fill the containers and take it with them.

As with similar reusable container systems, the used Green2Go containers are then dropped off at any dining location on campus. Green2Go members have the option to either exchange their used box for a clean one, or receive a carabiner that can be turned in for a to-go box at a later date.

One of the primary changes made from the pilot program, Dartmouth has chosen to issue carabiner hooks rather than use the standard Green2Go membership cards. Carabiners were chosen because they can attach to a student’s backpack, which was seen as being more convenient than a card.

The one-time investment into the program is designed to encourage students to be accountable for their takeout containers and carabiners, as losing either would require the purchase of a new one. The boxes are sold at cost, so university dining services does not turn a profit on the program.

Dartmouth Dining Services has trialled other waste prevention efforts in its dining facilities in the past. In January, the university removed individual napkin dispensers from each dining table, reducing paper waste by 30%.

As previously reported, the University of Georgia recently deployed new iris recognition scanners across its campus to facilitate entry to dining halls and the student rec center. The project has replaced the previous hand geometry scanners that UGA had used for years.

Now, in a new opinion piece in student publication, The Red & Black, the early signs are positive that the new iris biometric system will be a hit on campus. The piece acknowledges that there will be slight apprehensive with some students, but that the new scanners are a marked improvement over the previous hand scanners.

The piece goes on to cite specifically that the new iris scanners are not only faster than the previous hand scan, but are also more hygienic and easier to use than the previous system.

The author also makes note that the iris scanners, like with anything new, will require time and repetition for the students to grow acclimated to the new system. The system is set to be fully put to the test once students arrive back to campus int he coming weeks for the start of the fall semester.

Biometric entry is nothing new for the University of Georgia, where hand geometry scanners have long been used to increase efficiency on campus. Hand geometry was deployed as early as 2004 for dining hall access, and it wasn't until 2014, that the hand scanners were retired at residence hall entry points in favor of card and pin access.

As reported by the author, the reasoning behind phasing out hand geometry scanners was the need for greater speed and hygiene. It seems as though that same principle has been applied with the iris scanners.

HID Global has revealed that its Seos mobile access and advanced smart card platform has been deployed by Guadalajara, Mexico's Cervantes High School to help create a safer learning environment.

The implementation of HID solutions is expected to better protect the Cervantes school community from threats posed by unauthorized visitors, while turning the high school into a technology showcase where students, faculty and staff will now carry campus IDs on their mobile phones to securely access multiple entry points on campus. Students, teachers, administrative personnel and service employees are all being issued both the new Mobile ID and smart card credential.

Cervantes High School implemented the HID Mobile Access solution at school entrance turnstiles, complete with multiCLASS SE readers, to better protect what had previously been an open campus with uncontrolled access. The multiCLASS readers can verify both the Mobile ID housed on students' phones via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), in addition to the physical Seos smart cards.

The mobile access solution includes a web portal that facilitates device enrollment and Mobile ID provisioning. From this web portal, school administrators can quickly log batches of user and device information, and send tailored invitations and enrollment instructions to students via email.

The school has, to date, issued approximately 1,500 Mobile IDs, along with the same number of Seos cards to offer users the freedom of presenting either their phones or smart cards to access any campus entry point. Both options feature strong cryptographic security to minimize any possibilities of ID cloning or fraud.

Partnering with HID to install the new security features is system integrator, Amcorp Security Group México. “We wanted to offer Cervantes High School the latest technology and more choices to users by ensuring they had the freedom to use both Mobile IDs and traditional physical ID cards,” says Jorge Navarro, Commercial Director Amcorp Security Group Mexico.

“We are very pleased that innovative HID technology has made the Cervantes community feel safer and proud to be at the forefront of exciting new campus innovations,” says Harm Radstaak, Vice President and Managing Director of Physical Access Control Solutions with HID Global. “This is an outstanding example of how HID’s trusted identity solutions are creating convenient ways to help transform school campuses into model institutions where students can learn more freely.”

The HID Global deployment at Cervantes High School has proven to be highly effective and easy to use, prompting school officials to explore the expansion of HID Mobile Access and Seos smart cards to include secure access to classrooms in the future.

By Tom Stiles, Identification Systems Group

Card security is an understandable concern for many public and private organizations, and the use of security features to detect fraudulent cards is increasing everywhere. An ID card is the visual verification that the person is supposed to be there, and is who they say they are, so it needs to be secure and easily validated.

Higher education may be lagging behind other vertical markets in the implementation of advanced card security features, but it really shouldn’t be. No institution wants to be involved in an incident where a fraudulent campus card is used for illegal or unethical purposes.

Other organizations routinely accept student IDs as a valid form of identification, so it is essential for your cards to be legitimate. Particularly in states where a student ID is accepted as proof of identity for voting, it makes a lot of sense to have verifiable protections on your issued cards.

The widespread availability and common knowledge of card printers makes it easy for others to duplicate the look of your card. In addition, the Internet is full of fake ID sites where you can purchase fraudulent student ID cards. Here’s just one example. The presence of these sites raises an important question: Why would these sites exist if there were no value in having a fake campus card?

It is important to protect your ID card by adding security features that you can manage and afford. There are a wide variety of advanced card security options available today, many of which aren’t overly expensive.

But before you dive in with advanced card security features, consider the following:

It is important to thoroughly consider the options for both aspects of card security – during the manufacturing process for the stock for fixed security items, and during the actual card issuance process.

Card manufacturing

Before your cardstock even arrives on campus, there are a host of security features that can be added to the card body during the manufacturing process. A number of these features may be proprietary to a specific manufacturer, but there are at least two features that are common for nearly all manufacturers.

Mobile ID is being discussed in a number of settings, with corporate enterprises and government agencies of all shapes and sizes mulling the potential of the technology. But there's perhaps no vertical that's better suited for the jump to mobile ID than higher education.

With a cardholder base that lives on the very devices needed to make mobile ID a reality, adoption and use of mobile credential capabilities would be a natural progression for students. But this isn't exactly a revelation, as card offices across the country are already pondering the question, “Can I get that ID card on my mobile phone?”

But going whole hog with mobile ID isn't necessarily the answer near term. The debate over when to start issuing mobile credentials in place of plastic cards has raged on for nearly a decade, and this year we'll see more physical ID cards issued than any year prior.

So with the physical card remaining very much alive, many are now looking at strategies that see the capabilities of a mobile credential combined with the plastic card, rather than replace it outright, to enhance overall security and convenience for cardholders.

“The physical ID is not going away … its easy to deploy, its already in place, it’s the incumbent but at the same time, the whole world is going mobile,” says Dominic Tavassoli, VP Secure Issuance Solutions, HID Global. “There are many reasons behind the need for co-existence … citizens want choice as to whether they want a physical or mobile credential.”

In a new webinar with HID GLobal, SecureIDNews’ Gina Jordan talks with two leaders from the company about their experience working with hundreds of issuers who have been facing these questions.

Dominic Tavassoli is joined by Steve Warne from the HID’s Government ID Solutions unit to share insight into a third option that sees the card and mobile working together, rather than independent of one another. In addition to hailing it as the best option to meet the needs of government issuers around the globe, the combined approach could be the perfect way for universities to get their feet wet with mobile ID.

“Whenever you issue physical cards you should start thinking about issuing a mobile ID at the same time, because you are adding a lot of value and you are also helping prepare for that future change,” adds Tavassoli.

In the webinar, also learn about the HID Global’s goID solution that's helping issuers deliver mobile credentials in tandem with secure physical cards. Hear how one country is currently using the solution to improve security and better serve citizens, and gain insights on a future where ID cards can be complemented by a mobile credential.

Check out the webinar now.

An interconnected web of wireless access control locks weaves a thorough system of doorway security throughout Northwestern University. The common thread connecting these doorways is Wi-Fi locks from ASSA ABLOY Group brand Sargent.

Sargent IN120 locks form the base of the access control system along with Sargent 80 Series exit devices, 8200 Series mortise locks and a mix of access control components, hardware and a key system from HID Global, ASSA ABLOY Architectural Door Accessories and Group brand Medeco.

Installing an online access control system can be costly, requiring either labor-intensive hardwiring of doorways or a separate proprietary wireless network. But the IN120 Wi-Fi locks provided a cost savings for the university by leveraging the school’s existing IT infrastructure to deliver advanced access control to more locations.

Since the lock utilizes IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi infrastructure, there is no need for a proprietary wireless network or equipment that is specific to a lock manufacturer. Doors can easily be connected to a centralized access control system without the need for costly wiring. This extends the range of access control systems to include doorways in remote or hard-to-wire locations.

“Wireless locks bring a significant reduction in infrastructure costs,” says Anthony Hicks, head locksmith for the Evanston and Chicago campuses. “With thousands of doors throughout the university, hardwiring would have been a huge cost. Plus we plan to install electronic access control on doorways that have traditionally been equipped with mechanical locks. The Sargent Wi-Fi locks give us security without the cost of hardwiring.”

From the perspective of residential services, the move to electromechanical locks and a campus-wide one card system created major improvements in efficiency.

“We used a security consulting firm to evaluate the building management systems we use and our network infrastructure and then determine which locking system provided the best fit,” says Roger Becks, director of administrative services for Northwestern University. “The most important factor was integration to a one card system. We didn’t want students to have separate cards for everything. We needed software that would provide a seamless experience. The ASSA ABLOY lock and its accompanying PERSONA Campus software made that a pretty easy decision for us.”

The locks feature multiclass SE technology from HID Global and seamlessly integrate with the university’s access control software. PERSONA Campus software enables the school to bridge multiple systems, including the RMS residential software and ID Works photo ID software. This allowed the school to use the same credentialing system for academic buildings and residence halls. Any time a student misplaces a credential, the card office can quickly and easily issue a new credential and remove the missing one from the system.

“That one ID makes it easy for everyone,” Becks says. “We have the ability to shut off access once we know a card is missing. Within 10 minutes, a new card can be activated and the old card is shut off from the system.”

“Our philosophy at Northwestern is to gain control of security,” explains Northwestern’s Hicks. “If you can’t control the credentials, then you have no true security.” This strict adherence to credential control is enhanced by the HID multiclass SE technology used for the campus card system and a Medeco high security key system for doors that require mechanical keys.

Sargent mechanical locks are also used throughout the campus, including in the newly constructed school of music and the newly opened Kellogg School of Management.

“We are a longstanding Sargent customer and believe in the quality and integrity of the ASSA ABLOY family of products,” Hicks says. “Thanks to our wireless access control system, we have a higher level of security on campus.”

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The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
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