Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Oregon State University has partnered with the Oregon Health Authority to test a smartphone-based contact tracing system that notifies users about possible exposure to COVID-19. OSU is the latest in a number of university campuses to serve as a testing ground for a potentially statewide COVID notification app.
According to a report from The Register-Guard, Oregon State University faculty, staff and students can all elect to participate in the Oregon Exposure Notifications pilot before the app is made available to smartphone users across the state. OSU is following a now familiar trend of universities offering their campuses for COVID notification app pilots, following similar initiatives at Michigan State University and UC Davis.
The exposure notification system alerts users when they've been in close proximity to someone who may have exposed them to COVID-19. The system does not replace traditional contact tracing efforts, nor does it collect, share or reveal user locations or identity.
Apple and Google have collaborated to develop the privacy software that protects app participants. The COVID notification app disguises users' identity by generating a random sequence of numbers that change every few minutes. Then using Bluetooth, anytime a phone detects another nearby phone that's also opted into the program, the two will exchange the randomly generated numbers.
The Exposure Notifications system is embedded in Apple devices running iOS 13.7 or later, while Android devices require an app download. If a user reports that they have tested positive for COVID-19, the system will alert each user they made sustained contact with over the preceding 14 days.
Participants in the Oregon State pilot program who receive an exposure notification will also be invited to get a free follow-up COVID-19 test through TRACE-OSU, the university’s COVID-19 testing program.
Since launch, the Exposure Notifications system has amassed nearly 5,000 installs across the OSU campus community. The pilot program is expected to last four to six weeks, and provided the system is found to be helpful for public health efforts, there will be plans for statewide implementation.
Allegion and the University of Vermont are partnering for a free webinar to detail the university's mobile credential deployment. "The mobile campus advantage: An insider’s look at how University of Vermont transformed campus life with mobile credentials" webinar will provide an in-depth look at the University of Vermont's path to deployment and experience to date with mobile credentials.
Registration is now open, and the webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST.
The webinar will provide attendees with a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at how the mobile student ID has transformed campus life at the University of Vermont. Mark Mckenna, director of the CATcard Service Center at the University of Vermont will discuss how Vermont's roughly 10,000 students, faculty and staff are leveraging mobile credentials, as well as the the university’s migration path from mag stripe.
Attendees will also hear perspective on where Vermont is today with its mobile credential deployment, how the university and its card office personnel helped the university to arrive to its current environment, and crucially, where the mobile credential at Vermont is headed next.
To round out the discussion, the panel will examine things from the student point of view, providing a virtual tour that highlights all the places on campus that Vermont is accepting the mobile student ID.
Further takeaways from this session will include:
Card system vendor TouchNet has developed an extensive network of third-party vendors with its Ready Partner Program. The program is designed to provide TouchNet customers looking to add new services or features with a catalog of third-party providers that are validated to integrate into TouchNet solutions.
Among the ever-growing list of TouchNet Ready Partners is Starship Technologies – the company now renowned for its fleet of autonomous delivery robots. Robot delivery was already proving its viability before the arrival of a global pandemic, but in this new normal it seems that this service has only grown in importance.
Universities across the country are looking for new ways to keep dining convenient for students and workable for the institution. It’s an exceedingly difficult proposition now as campus dining has to strike a balance between efficiency and safety in the form of social distancing guidelines and altered dining schedules designed to keep foot traffic to a minimum.
Starship Technologies and TouchNet work cooperatively via the Ready Partner Program to bring the delivery robots to TouchNet client campuses.
“With Starship as a Ready Partner, there’s no additional modules or requirements from the OneCard side because they’re using the standard declining balance,” says Dave Falldien, Manager, Sales Engineering at TouchNet. “All the campus has to do is contact TouchNet and inform us that they want a Starship implementation that accepts the OneCard student credential as a form of payment.”
For TouchNet campuses that have made it available, the student OneCard appears as a payment method for purchases made in the Starship app. Those orders are also reflected on the student’s account in real time.
“The leg work for TouchNet campuses to integrate with Starship is minimal,” says Falldien. “All a campus has to have in place from TouchNet’s standpoint is the third-party integration.”
Among TouchNet’s campus power users for the Starship app is the University of Houston. The University of Houston’s go-live date was November 11, 2019 when it logged 454 deliveries on day one alone. The service is currently offered at on campus locations such as Starbucks, Mondo Subs, Subway, Panda Express and one of UH’s c-stores.
“We’re always looking for innovative ways to provide food service and engage our students,” says Alexcis Mendoza, District Marketing Manager, University of Houston System. “We wanted the service to be inclusive and know that a core part of our student population relies on dining dollars as their means of purchasing. Because of this, it was important for us to launch with dining dollars as a tender option.”
“Because Starship and TouchNet had an integration that we were able to leverage, there weren’t any hurdles or delays,” says Mendoza. “We opened on day one with Cougar Cash fully integrated.”
The University of Houston peaked at 475 orders per day in November 2019. Then came the arrival of COVID.
“Spring 2020 was abnormal to say the least. It’s difficult to determine an accurate trend but our forecast pre COVID-19 would have seen the service continue to grow,” explains Mendoza. “With both new and repeat guests, it would have put us at 600 deliveries daily.”
Due to the significant reduction of in-person classes and campus population this fall, Houston has closed or reduced hours of operation for most of its campus retail locations.
“With the difficult decisions the university made this fall, the delivery service has seen a decline,” says Mendoza. “However, the service and amenity these robots provide is more relevant and important than ever before. We’re glad to have the opportunity to provide this innovative option to our students.”
Now that we’ve got the details on robot delivery, let’s circle back to the Ready Partner Program.
“The idea behind the TouchNet Ready Partner Program is to help build a replicable platform for Starship and other third-party vendors in higher education,” explains Falldien. “The Ready Program is our way of vetting third parties for direct access to TouchNet technology.”
From the university’s standpoint it’s a plug-and-play type of scenario. The university can search the vendor database based on the service they’re looking for and then benefit from the assurance that the vendor is already validated by TouchNet.
“There’s always going to be configurations, but it’s minimal when going through the TouchNet Ready process because it’s an existing, pre-built standardized integration,” explains Falldien. “Vendors apply to join the program, then go through a validation process to gain access to the TouchNet API, endpoints, programming, U-stores, etc.”
TouchNet already boasts a roster of hundreds of Ready Partners but continues to look at new and different services spanning all facets of campus life including bookstores, admissions, events, publishing, parking, printing, and rec centers. Vendors in these spaces can tie into TouchNet’s API either through the company’s payment gateway for commerce applications or through the OneCard platform.
In general, the on-boarding process for third-party vendors to the Ready Program is seamless. There is a validation process that’s conducted by the TouchNet dev team, which helps to comprehensively vet the prospective vendor.
As higher ed continues to adapt to the challenges posed by COVID, solutions like Starship and other TouchNet Ready Partners could offer respite in the form of new service models.
“The big one with Starship is being able to offer automated, contactless delivery,” says Falldien. “It was super convenient before, but now with COVID it’s helping to keep students fed when we’re reducing volumes in community dining halls.”
COVID has, in a sense, only accelerated what was already happening on campus with robot delivery. Robot delivery arrived on campus with the “wow” factor, but the pandemic has brought new levels of importance to the service.
“Even as we’re rolling out more order-ahead services, creating delivery points and options is now part of the requirement to keep everyone safe,” says Falldien. “Delivery was coming regardless of COVID, but now we’re taking what was originally meant to be a convenience and making it a proper service.”
The University of California, Davis, has added a new precautionary measure in its fight against coronavirus, encouraging students, staff, faculty and the larger Davis community to use the California COVID Notify app. The California COVID Notify app is being piloted at universities across the state for digital tracking and automated notification of potential exposure to the virus.
According to an official university release, the app leverages smartphones to inform users when they may have been in close proximity to an individual with COVID-19, and whether for a long enough period of time to be at risk of exposure. The app never tracks locations, and users are never identified.
UC Davis joins six other University of California campuses in the California COVID Notify pilot. The pilot is being conducted in partnership with the state of California, which is evaluating whether to make the app available statewide. Michigan State University recently participated in a similar state-run notification app initiative.
“If used widely enough, California COVID Notify represents a game-changer in how we fight this virus in California," says David Lubarsky, vice chancellor of Human Health Sciences and CEO of UC Davis Health. “It supplements contact tracing work and can dramatically reduce the spread of COVID-19, keeping our colleagues, families and friends, as well as ourselves, safer and healthier.”
California COVID Notify uses Exposure Notification Express mobile technology from Google and Apple. The technology relies on Bluetooth keys shared between smartphones using Android or iOS operating systems.
Android users who elect to participate must download the California COVID Notify app, while iOS 14.2 or later users can simply activate app from their iPhone settings. When the app is activated, phones start broadcasting randomly generated and anonymous keys that change every 10 to 20 minutes.
When another phone using California COVID Notify is nearby, both phones will remember each other’s keys and the amount of time that the phones were near each other — but not the users’ identities or locations, which are never collected.
If a California COVID Notify user tests positive for the virus, they can voluntarily input that information into the app using a code provided by their participating health care provider. The system would then match up that user’s phone with close contacts it has had with other users' phones over the previous 14 days and then notify those users of the potential exposure.
The alerts come with instructions for next steps which may include symptom monitoring, self-isolation, getting tested or having users contact their public health departments.
The state Department of Public Health launched the California COVID Notify pilot in mid-September at UC San Diego and UC San Francisco, with total app downloads for both of those locations reaching 20,000 and counting.
A new initiative from food service provider, Sodexo, and student food insecurity non-profit, Swipe Out Hunger, will bring the meal-swipe donation program to 100 new campuses nationwide. Following a successful pilot program, which provided more than 15,500 meals for 1,100 students during the Spring semester, the pair of organizations has announced the expansion of its Meal Swipe Bank to 100 new U.S. campuses by the end of 2021.
According to figures from Swipe Out Hunger, it's estimated that one in three college students face food insecurity each year. With the added financial strain and stress caused by the pandemic, the organization estimates that student food insecurity has now increased by 14%.
“Students need our support. The pandemic, unfortunately, has only heightened the already pervasive state of food in-security, being faced by a third of our students,” says Tom Post, CEO, Sodexo Universities. “The Swipe Out Hunger program provides both emergency access to meals and also peace of mind for students that their campus supports them and that there are easily accessible resources should they need access to free meals.”
From Sodexo’s side, the company will work with each campus to provide meal swipes for the Meal Swipe Bank equal to the sum of fall and spring mandatory meal plans sold. Once students are enrolled in the program, these meal swipes are directly placed onto student ID cards, allowing those in need to anonymously redeem free meals on campus.
“A warm, nourishing meal can make a significant difference in the life of a college student, whether physically, mentally, financially, or academically,” says Rachel Sumekh, Founder and CEO of Swipe Out Hunger. “Partners like Sodexo understand how critical it is to ensure every student has access to food. Working together, we can reach even more students and ensure they have the opportunity to thrive as they earn their degree.”
The Sodexo and Swipe Out Hunger pilot program launched on 12 campuses across the U.S., including Seattle Pacific University and San Francisco State University. As a result of the pilot, 80% of participating students reported experiencing less stress and 44% performed better in their classes.
Sodexo and Swipe Out Hunger look forward to partnering with student leaders across the country to address campus hunger through a number of tactics, including:
Card system vendor, TouchNet, has recently released the results of its first annual Connecting the Dots survey, finding that participating students overwhelmingly believe that technology played a pivotal role in campus life post COVID.
With campuses across the country each in varying stages of digital transformation, all had to accelerate timelines to accommodate remote student services during the pandemic. The good news is that most college students are mobile natives who prefer the convenience and immediacy of digital experiences.
TouchNet conducted its the Connecting the Dots survey in the spring of 2020, attempting to gauge digital technology usage among U.S. college students. Participants were asked a variety of questions to determine what’s most important to them when it comes to payment technology, how they use it, which apps are useful, and their preferences for paying for activities, goods, and services on campus.
The survey looks comprehensively at technology usage across the full spectrum of campus payments and transactions. However, because the pandemic had already begun when the survey was conducted it also includes timely and valid responses to universities' use of technology both inside and outside the classroom, as well as off campus.
The survey intentionally gathered the full range of student opinions, spanning traditional and non-traditional, full- and part-time, and those enrolled at two- and four-year institutions. The survey results offer a comprehensive snapshot of students’ perceptions of financial responsibility. It also documents how those preferences could change over the course of a student’s college career.
Overall, the survey provides data that TouchNet hopes can be used to inform decision making around the transition to safer, more contactless campuses that better meet student needs. Some of the key takeaways pertaining specifically to COVID-19 include:
“One of the most encouraging takeaways from our first student survey is that 89% of students surveyed believe technology on their campus is as good or better post-COVID,” says Adam McDonald, TouchNet President. “There’s no doubt the pandemic sped up the shift toward contactless payments and credentials among the schools we work with, so knowing our efforts are playing a role in these positive student experiences is incredibly rewarding.”
Given the important insights gathered in its first year and the ongoing need for real-time feedback, TouchNet plans to conduct its Connecting the Dots survey annually. The full edition of the 2020 survey is available for free on the TouchNet website.
Following a successful pilot of the MI COVID Alert contact tracing app on the Michigan State University campus, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has expanded the app to statewide use.
According to an official university release, the launch of the app was originally scheduled for November 23, but was accelerated after a successful pilot test was conducted within the Michigan State University campus community.
The MI COVID Alert app uses secure Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology to detect nearby phones of other app users to notify individuals when they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
This type of exposure notification app has been popping up in states across the country, including in Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. However, the initiative at MSU is one of only a few universities to pilot such an app prior to a statewide launch.
Michigan public health officials approached MSU in September about launching the app on campus and across Ingham County.
Health officials asked MSU to conduct research and develop a communication plan that would encourage students and other on-campus individuals to download the app. Information gathered during the on-campus pilot, including the overall success of the app, would be used to make a decision about the viability of a statewide launch.
The campus pilot began on October 15, with the MI COVID Alert app available for all campus community members to download on either iOS or Android devices.
MSU set an aggressive goal of 20,000 downloads by students, faculty and staff within 30 days of launch and a further 8,000 downloads from the greater Ingham county area.
By October 18 -- just three days after launch -- the MI COVID Alert app had been downloaded nearly 10,000 times. Within two weeks of launch, downloads had surpassed 30,000.
The MI COVID Alert app currently has more than 46,000 downloads from the MSU community and Ingham County.
“The positive response demonstrates the commitment of the Spartan community to be part of the solution,” says Shawn Turner, professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, and pilot project lead for MSU. “Spartans want to do their part to slow the spread of this virus and they want to protect the people they care about. Downloading the app helps them do that.”
Despite already exceeding download goals, the MSU pilot will continue to run through the end of the year.
Western Michigan University will allow students enrolled exclusively in online classes the opportunity for penalty-free housing contract cancellations next semester. With the fall semester quickly coming to a close, sights are now turning to the spring and accounting for what the coronavirus may bring.
As reported by WMU's student publication, The Western Herald, eligible students can cancel their housing contract without penalty for a full semester's value if completed by 5:00 p.m. on December 18. Students must be signed up for all online classes at the time of cancellation.
The spring 2020 semester brought with it some complicated and stressful scenarios as it pertains to on-campus housing and student reimbursements. It seems that WMU is keen to get out in front of the trend this year.
Students that apply to cancel housing contracts will have a housing and dining credit applied to their student account. If there are outstanding fines on a student's account, the credit will first be applied to the outstanding fines, with the remaining credit then applied to the student's account.
Western Michigan has also stated that all spring classes will move to a virtual format following the end of spring break on April 2. After spring break, students can opt to return to their dorms until the end of the semester, or remain at home for virtual learning.
WMU students applying for the housing credit after spring break must:
Complete the early move-out request by 5:00 p.m. February 26, 2021.
Be living in the residence halls during the fall 2020 semester as of February 4.
Check out and turn in keys on or before March 26, 2021. Those who fail to check out prior to the March 26th deadline will responsible for the full amount of room and board as originally billed.
Making the move to contactless, whether smart cards or mobile credentials, is a topic that appears quite often on CR80News. But with the number of universities issuing mag stripe or 125 kHz prox credentials still alarmingly high, it’s worth taking the time to discuss the options available to campuses as they plot moves to more advanced, secure student credentials.
To better frame the issue, CR80News caught up with CBORD’s Read Winkelman and Larry Delaney to discuss some actionable steps that campuses can take.
“The first step for any campus wanting to move to a mobile credential is to perform a use case assessment to understand everywhere a card is used on and off campus,” says Larry Delaney, VP of Strategic Alliances, CBORD. “Knowing where and how students use their ID cards is important to planning migration to the appropriate technology and hardware.”
CBORD has been working to make this step increasingly easier for campuses. “We will work with universities to complete the use-case assessment and consult on a plan to move fully contactless,” says Delaney.
One of the major hurdles for any university plotting the move to contactless credentials, is addressing the extensive hardware infrastructure already on campus.
“When you get ready to start changing out hardware, you should transition the most important locks or readers first,” says Read Winkelman, VP of Sales, CBORD. “Look for your high-touch areas such as exterior building doors, retail and dining locations, laundry, vending, and attendance readers.”
The hardware concern, and the costs associated with upgrading at scale, has become even more prevalent in the wake of COVID-19 and widespread university spending freezes. But as Winkelman explains, even with the added pressures of this past year, there are still ways to successfully navigate hardware upgrades.
“It doesn’t have to be expensive,” he says. “Focusing on high-use, high-touch areas can allow a university to create a great initial experience and expand over time.”
Another strategy that campuses have at their disposal is the tried-and-true phased method.
“Not every campus can go from no contactless technology to fully contactless all at once,” says Winkelman. “Campuses should consider creating a plan for a phased approach that will fit within your budget.”
“With budgets being tighter, having a proactive plan to move to mobile will make the jump more attainable,” Winkelman adds. “But at the very least, you have to get off mag stripe and prox, they’re just not secure.”
The benefits of moving to contactless credentials are substantial under normal circumstances. But in such an abnormal year, these benefits have only been magnified.
One of the major impacts that universities have felt in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is a move to more touchless experiences across campus. As social distancing measures continue to alter daily operations, the one constant has been that everyone is being forced to adapt.
“Gen Z already expects this kind of technology. They’re mobile natives and the most connected generation to date,” says Delaney. “But during a pandemic, it’s a necessity to do everything possible to ensure the health and safety of the campus and community.”
Contactless credentials could also help to settle the nerves of some students now that a new daily life on campus has taken root.
“Institutions were seeing drops in enrollment, whether its freshmen postponing college or upperclassmen taking a gap year,” says Delaney. “A number of students were reticent at the prospect of returning to campus this fall. Contactless technology helps to ease those fears.”
Contactless credentials have, in some cases, seamlessly slotted into the new socially distant way of life on campus. Providing a touchless transaction experience across campus has been big. And it may seem a bit of an oxymoron but relieving card office staff from the card production and issuance process – for those that have implemented mobile ID solutions – has been another added benefit of contactless.
“Our campuses that transitioned to fully mobile technology last year were preemptively prepared for the pandemic,” says Winkelman. “There was no need for students to visit an office to get a credential. They submitted a photo online, and then provisioned the credential right to their smartphone.”
Businesses around the country are encouraging mobile payment use, and this past year with coronavirus has really trained students and parents to conduct more transactions with mobile credentials.
Then there’s the old stalwart benefits of contactless credentials: increased security and decreased fraud, says Winkelman. “Students are far less likely to share their phone with a peer for access or payments than an ID card.”
“Contactless credentials are the safest, healthiest, and most secure form of a campus IDs,” adds Winkelman. “It’s easier and faster to provision mobile credentials on a smartphone or watch than it is to print and distribute plastic cards.”
“It’s rare that I ever use a physical plastic card these days,” says Winkelman. “My local grocery stores encourage mobile payments and it is just easier, more convenient, and cleaner.”
In case it hasn’t been driven home yet, the trend in campus credentials is one that’s moving away from less secure technologies like mag stripe or prox and toward contactless credentials.
“We believe that the future of campus credentials is a mix of mobile, biometrics, and traditional plastic ID cards,” says Delaney. “Mobile credential is the current ‘next thing,’ and you can count on the ‘next-next thing’ to build on it.”
It’s perfectly understandable for contactless to seem a daunting move, whether due to budget restrictions, lack of support from higher up the food chain, or otherwise. But having everyone row in the same direction will be vital.
“CBORD is collaborating with our partners Apple, Allegion and HID Global to make mobile ID a reality,” says Delaney. “We’re also working with some companies who aren’t traditional partners, as well.”
As CBORD views it, a collaborative effort alongside engaged university clients will ultimately drive the larger migration to the next wave of campus credentials.
“We really roll up our sleeves and get directly involved with our interested campuses,” says Delaney. “We share ideas and go-to-market strategies to help our customers have the best range of options and the widest set of functionalities.”
Drake University recently expanded the reach of its Bulldog Bucks off-campus program and declining balance account, enabling students and other Drake community members to make purchases at local businesses. The university hopes the initiative will foster a stronger town-gown relationship by helping to both encourage students to explore more of the Drake neighborhood, as well as support local businesses affected by the pandemic.
Bulldog Bucks are an account on students’ ID cards that can be loaded with funds either by students or guests through an online portal. The funds on these are separate from meal plan flex dollars and carry forward from semester to semester as long as the student has an active Drake ID card.
Participating businesses in the Drake neighborhood include Fong’s Pizza, Lucky Horse and many other businesses coming soon such as Dough Co Pizza, Kum & Go and Fernando’s Mexican Grill. Drake students cannot use Bulldog Bucks to purchase tobacco, alcohol or gift cards.
According to a report from the Times Delphic, a 2017 survey compiled by the Drake Community Board found that of 467 respondents, 54% of students indicated that increasing interactions with local businesses would mend the gap between the Drake neighborhood and the university. This, along with numerous local businesses approaching the university to participate, helped encourage the idea of using Drake student ID cards as a payment option beyond the confines of campus.
“This topic comes up every year during orientation," said Sara Heijerman, chair of the Student Services operations, in a Times Delphic interview. "Parents and students are always curious if they can spend campus funds in the neighborhood and now we can finally answer that this is an option.”
“I believe this is a right step for Drake, as this expands students’ opportunities and gets them into the Drake neighborhood,” added Drake University junior, Kyle Tekautz. “Additionally, I think this is a great partnership for Drake to uplift the local businesses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Drake students can add funds to their Bulldog Bucks account in person during business hours in the Student Services Center, or online via Drake's eAccounts portal. Students also have the option to download the Transact Campus eAccounts app and add funds via their Apple or Android smartphones, as well as check remaining balances, recent transactions, view monthly statements, or report a card as lost or stolen.
