Card, mobile credential, payment and security
In this episode of the CampusIDNews Chat series, we talk with Jennifer Paiotti, Associate Director, Business Operations, Auxiliary services, at Xavier University. At the 2024 NACCU Annual Conference, she will share her campus ID program, its ties to other auxiliary enterprises, and how they are moving to mobile-only with their campus credentials. Whether you are attending the tour not, listen in to learn about the Xavier program.
Check out the video interview by clicking the image at the top of this page.
The back of University of South Florida’s ID card provides several phone numbers for students in crisis or seeking safety services. Many campus cards contain similar resources, but what happens when this information changes. How do you deal with incorrect contact info for essential services?
The USF card prominently lists contact numbers for the victim hotline, counseling center, campus police department, and a campus security escort service.
With the phone number change, nearly 50,000 students are left with ID cards referring them to a number that no longer exists.
When the card was redesigned in 2020, the numbers were added.
A Facebook post from the USF Student Government announced the change, saying “We are pleased to announce the release of USF’s new student ID cards! We’ve placed essential hotline numbers and other important contacts on the ID cards of all three campuses!”
According to an article in USF’s student-run newspaper, all was fine until a campus phone system upgrade forced a change to one of the numbers.
The escort service, known as SAFE Team, is operated by student government in partnership with campus police. Between 6 pm and 2 am, it provides escorts on foot or in golf carts to help students that feel unsafe walking alone.
The service was only a phone call away.
With the phone number change, however, nearly 50,000 students are left with ID cards referring them to a number that no longer exists.
This is certainly not the only time this has happened. Crisis line numbers can change and services can cease operations.
In a recent webinar, Nick Mabee, U Card Office marketing manager at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, discussed his office’s journey to add mental health resources to the back of the ID card.
The team went through at least four revisions, swapping different crisis lines in and out as they felt pressure from on-campus groups as well as pending state and federal legislation.
At one point, they had the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and the campus Crisis Line.
But before the design was finalized, Mabee says, “there was controversy about the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and their approach to privacy, so we had quite a few offices on our campus that were concerned.”
The next draft removed the national line and featured only the campus line.
From the beginning, however, a goal was to meet requirements of pending state and federal legislation that, if passed, would mandate inclusion of mental health resources on student IDs.
If we list our card’s basic services – vending, laundry, access, etc. – and one of them changes, it is not a big deal. But the same can not be said for crisis lines or essential services like USF’s SAFE Team.
This led the team to add back the national line to meet potential federal requirements and include county lines that were part of the Minnesota bill.
Old card back and new design with mental health resources
With a shortage of space on the card back and a wealth of uncertainty about the future of the legislation, the final design eliminated the county lines and featured only the national and campus crisis numbers.
While Minnesota’s U Card does not contain any incorrect numbers, Mabee’s experience shows the challenges of this process.
There will always be uncertainty when the ink hits the card.
If there is a lesson to be learned from these examples, it is that card offices and campus administrators should put careful thought into any information that is added to the ID.
This is especially true of life safety information.
If we list our card’s basic services – vending, laundry, access, etc. – and one of them changes, it is not a big deal. But the same can not be said for crisis lines or essential services like USF’s SAFE Team.
In most cases, it is not practical or realistic to reissue every student ID if a phone number changes. So all we can do is make sure any info we include is truly necessary, unlikely to change, and fully vetted.
At California’s Fresno High, a new app is authorizing and monitoring trips to the bathroom in an effort to increase students’ time in class and decrease gathering in halls and bathrooms. Of course, this has not gone over well with students.
Raising your hand and asking the teacher if you can go to the bathroom is so old school.
Today, students at several local middle and high schools request bathroom privileges by entering their student ID number into an app. If fewer than 25 students throughout the school are already on bathroom breaks, a green light appears on the mobile device and the student is excused.
Fresno High mandates that students with smartphones download the free app developed by a company called 5 Star Students. In addition to bathroom breaks, the app also facilitates student attendance and the recording of tardies.
The student flashes the green screen to the teacher and has seven minutes to use the bathroom and return to class. The green light also enables the anxious student to pass by hall monitors.
Upon returning to class, the ID is again entered into the app to stop the timer. If the seven minute limit is exceeded, the student’s future bathroom privileges could be revoked.
As long as they follow the rules and meet the timelines, each student gets two seven-minute breaks per day.
While this may sound a bit Draconian, the intent is not to monitor frequent ‘pee-er’s.’
It is a safety mechanism to restrict students from congregating during class time and know who is out of class in the event of an incident.
It is really a modern version of a hall pass. The app tracks time out of class, but it does not collect location data.
Fresno High mandates that students with smartphones download the free app developed by a company called 5 Star Students. In addition to bathroom breaks, the app also facilitates student attendance and the recording of tardies.
Students without mobile devices use traditional manual processes.
In a written response to the Fresno Bee, the school districts communication department said, the app has been “useful in tracking student engagements with activities and clubs, as well as the hall pass element, which reduced the number of students roaming hallways or congregating in bathrooms during instructional time.”
The push to reduce or even eliminate single-use containers from campus dining is now easier for Atrium clients. Thanks to a seamless integration between Atrium and the OZZI reusable container program, the processes for both students and dining services is streamlined.
Atrium clients have been using OZZI for years, but the two systems were independent. Container check-out and check-in, lost container payment, and other processes were managed manually or via a dedicated app.
“The management of the program via the Atrium system is what is new,” says David McQuillin, Vice President of Sales and Atrium Co-Founder. “It enables the student to return the container directly to kiosk without interacting with an app or cashier.”
The token used in the container solution is an activity account based on an integer. Take a container and the account will show a one. Return it and the account goes back to zero.
In essence, the Atrium system debits a cardholder account when a container is taken and credits the account upon return. This can be done using a token or a dollar value.
Butler will be the first client to go live with the new integrated option. The implementation is currently underway at the Indiana institution.
Students purchase or receive a token to use in the container program. When they order a meal in a container or pick one up in the dining hall, the token or dollar amount is debited from their Atrium account.
When they are ready to return it, they tap or swipe their ID card at the OZZI kiosk and insert the container in the slot. At that point, the token or dollar amount is credited back to their Atrium account.
The Atrium platform has three types of accounts – meal, declining balance, and activity accounts. Activity accounts are used for things like event management and item tracking.
We all know it is great for the environment but when you look at the economics of it, the payback is compelling. I thought wow, everybody should be doing this.
“The token used in the container solution is an activity account based on an integer,” explains McQuillin. “I take the container and my container account will show a one, and when I return it the account goes back to zero.”
If a container has not been returned after some period of time, the school can charge for it via the student’s declining balance account.
Though it is less common, McQuillin says they can also support a mode where the user’s declining balance account is charged directly when a user takes the container and refunded when it is returned.
OZZI presented at Atrium’s recent user conference, discussing the program, the sustainability advantages, and the ROI. McQuillin says he was struck by the economics of moving away from single use to reusable.
“We all know it is great for the environment but when you look at the economics of it, the payback is compelling,” he notes. “I thought wow, everybody should be doing this.”
For clients using other single use container solutions, Atrium can also support their efforts toward sustainability.
In addition to OZZI, the company works with container solution providers, Usefull and Reusables. “Its part of our special sauce,” says McQuillin. “We never have just one flavor of something.”
The 2024 State of the Security Industry Report from HID Global studies trends and changes in the security industry. This year six major themes emerged surrounding mobile identity, multi-factor authentication, biometrics, AI, and sustainability.
The research includes data from more than 2,500 individuals – partners, end users, and security/IT personnel – from around the globe. Respondents cover a range of responsibilities, organization sizes, and industries.
Within five years, end users expect that 80% of organizations will deploy mobile IDs and industry players expect that 94% of their customers will have gone mobile.
Here’s a rundown of this year’s six themes:
By 2029, end users expect that 80% of organizations will deploy mobile IDs. Industry partners are even more confident, predicting that 94% of their customers will have deployed the new credentials.
More than 83% of end users say their organization currently uses Multi-Factor Authentication to protect against weak passwords. This is a first step toward Zero Trust, a security approach that strengthens all access controls to ‘never trust, always verify’ both internal and external users.
Survey results suggest that Zero Trust is already in place at16% of organizations with 100,000+ employees and 14% of those between 5,000 and 10,000 employees.
Sustainability continues to be a strong business priority. End users and partners rate it four on a one-to-five scale. Its importance has grown over the past year, with three-quarters of end users and 80% of partners reporting increased customer interest. A shift to cloud-based solutions and mobile devices are key strategies to reach sustainability goals.
In this year’s survey, 40% of installers and integrators said a subset of their customers are using fingerprint or palm print and 30% said some are using facial recognition. An additional 8% plan to test or implement some form of biometrics in the next year and 22% plan to do so in the next three to five years. Half of all respondents cited biometrics as a top interest.
Nearly half of end users are moving to cloud-based identity management, with one-quarter already using it and another quarter in the implementation process. Not surprisingly, the report found that adoption is slowed by reliance on existing on-prem equipment (28%) and lack of budget (24%).
As a first-step with AI in security and identity management, organizations are beginning to leverage data analytics and AI in support of actionable outcomes. 35% of end users say they will be testing or implementing some AI capability in the next three to five years.
Check out the full report for some interesting stats on the topics like the rate of adoption for mobile IDs and the deployment rates for multi-factor authentication.
It is not often that we get to hear from students about their experiences with campus cards and mobile credentials. That is what makes the upcoming webinar with a group of three Sheridan College students unique.
The webinar, “Voice of the Student: Understanding Student Expectations for a Mobile Campus Experience,” takes place on Wednesday, March 27 at 1:00 pm CT. In the session, actual users will share how the launch of Mobile ID has impacted daily life at the Canadian institution.
They will discuss the benefits and challenges to navigating campus resources, making purchases, and utilizing dining facilities via mobile devices. They'll also share the impacts on event ticketing and meal plan management.
But, the benefits are not just for the students.
Sheridan’s onecard lead, Aesha Brown, will discuss how the Mobile ID has impacted campus services and operations. Optimizing administrative processes, reducing costs, and increasing security and privacy safeguards are just a few of workflow improvements for campus staff.
Sheridan went live with the mobile onecard on iOS devices on August 2022 and added Android support the following year. They were the first campus to utilize both TouchNet’s onecard and 360u app across the two mobile platforms.
When CampusIDNews spoke with Brown for a previous article about the Sheridan Mobile ID launch, she stressed that extensive outreach to students was key to the program’s rapid adoption and success.
“I quickly realized that not only is this project “tech heavy” it is also a large change management project,” explains Brown. “We took a pan-institutional approach to ensure our marketing campaigns and communications strategy were intentional and effective.”
In the upcoming webinar, students will tell us first-hand if that approach paid off.
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Transact recognized campuses in a series of categories including student experience, innovation, and marketing. The awards were presented in Las Vegas at Transact’s annual user group conference, Transact 360.
Here is a rundown of the winners by category, each recognized for excellence in campus technology and innovation.
This award recognizes institutions that have creatively and effectively promoted their technological advances on campus.
Liberty University
Their Mobile Flames Pass video effectively promoted the campus mobile credential with a fun, funny, yet informative student-centric style. The script, song, special effects, and cinematography showcased remarkable talent and passion.
Texas Tech University
A full campaign marketing mobile ordering included materials, giveaways, and promos. Impressive results generated interest and drove usage of the new offering.
This award honors new Transact users that have transformed their campus and student experiences via Transact products or services.
Appalachian State University
To enhance their student experience, they rapidly launched Cloud POS in just 9 weeks. Their dedication ensured a swift and efficient onsite installation.
University of Florida
Successfully marketing their new mobile credential, they were able to enroll more than 25,000 students before the official launch date.
University of California San Diego
Using Transact Mobile Ordering, they launched Amazon Just Walk Out at an on-campus market enabling frictionless checkout. The cashier-less location surpassed all others.
This award recognizes institutions that push the adoption of innovative technologies to improve student experiences and administrative workflows.
Eastern Arizona College
By consolidating administrative processes, the college transitioned from homegrown products to IDX and Cloud POS in addition to launching mobile credentials.
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Looking for a single partner to deliver multiple campus solutions, they led the way showing that community colleges can benefit greatly from services like Cloud POS, access control, ID production, and Transact’s IDX platform.
Pennsylvania State University
The launch of mobile credentials across a 24-campus system with 88,000 students was a monumental undertaking. Through it all, PSU achieved a record-setting 81% adoption by September 2023 and have revolutionized the student experience.
University of California San Diego
Launching ePayments with an extensive social media campaign across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, the campus was able to introduce the new offerings to students in record time.
University of Pittsburgh
As the first institution to implement Amazon Just Walk Out and Ondo temperature-controlled lockers with Transact Mobile Ordering, Pitt once again proved itself a leader in the campus card space.
This award honors campuses that have used technology to significantly improve the total student experience, in areas including recruitment, engagement, and retention.
University of the Pacific
Leading the way with Virtual Terminal during their homecoming event, the institution generated more than $6000 in one of the initial use cases.
Utah State University
Extending mobile ordering to event organization, they created a seamless platform for student groups. At initial events, they were able to eliminate paper tickets, streamline check-ins, and generate $100,000 in revenue.
Virginia Tech
They expanded Transact Payments modules, upgrading the codebase and enhancing single sign-on options. With end users in mind, the team worked to provide consistent wording, user-friendly design, and exceptional data accuracy.
“It’s truly an honor to celebrate all of this year’s Transact Distinction Award winners, recognizing their innovative spirit and commitment to enriching student life through technology,” says Nancy Langer, CEO of Transact. “Their achievements set a high standard for excellence in seamlessly integrating payment and ID solutions within the educational realm."
To learn more about the winners, check out the Distinction Awards online.
The University of Central Missouri is nearing completion of a campus-wide electronic access control project that began in fall 2022. With this final phase underway, more than 600 doors in 45 buildings will be equipped with the new readers, and the campus is gradually enabling use of its mobile credential across the campus.
The university contracted with Integrated Opening Solutions to provide labor, materials, and equipment. The $2.7 million project is paid for via federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF) that was initiated to help combat the pandemic.
Our ability to make these products mobile Wallet capable after initial deployment is an example of Allegion's future-proof technology vision and commitment to products that are adaptable as technology changes
Central Missouri’s Mule Card relied on magnetic stripe technology until 2022, when it launched mobile credentials with its transaction system partner Transact. The campus leapfrogged contactless cards going directly to mobile from the mag stripe.
Because there were no contactless cards prior, key fobs were used as the access control token. As the move to acceptance of the Mobile Mule Card began, it was crucial to have multi-technology readers capable of reading both the existing fobs and the new NFC-based credential.Access control readers from Allegion were installed at both exterior and interior entrances to meet this need.
Currently, there are more than 200 mobile-ready, wireless Allegion locks on interior doors (Schlage AD, NDEB, and LEB) and more than 200 of its multi-technology Schlage MTB exterior readers in place on campus.
“Most were put in well prior to knowledge of moving to mobile Wallet credentials,” explains Jeff Koziol, Allegion’s business development manager for mobile credentials. “Our ability to make these products mobile Wallet capable after initial deployment is another example of the future-proof technology vision of our company and our commitment to products that are adaptable as technology changes.”
Mike Papasifakis, supervisor of Parking Services and Access Control, told the UCM News, “while key fobs have been distributed to university employees and students who require access to certain buildings, the next step in this project is for individuals to transition to the Mobile Mule Card to enter buildings with locked doors.”
Beyond just convenience and access, the project significantly increases security. It enables Public Safety to automatically lock or unlock doors from a central control area and manage other advanced functions in emergency situations.Of course, the mobile credential facilitates other services beyond access control. Via an iPhone, Apple Watch or Android phone, students make payments on and around campus, access the student recreation and wellness center, obtain library services, verify eligibility to attend sporting events, and more.
A recent online conference session explored the University of Minnesota's efforts to add mental health resources to the U Card. Nick Mabee, Strategic Communications & Marketing Manager for the U Card, details how they successfully transformed the traditional student ID card into a tool that supports the well-being of the entire campus community.
Why did the University decide to add mental health information to the U Card?
To begin, there is pending legislation at the federal level that could require campuses to do this, though Mabee explains the bill has been stalled for more than two years and thus is not imminent. The state of Minnesota also has legislation in the works.
With requirements potentially coming from both levels, the idea that they could be required to make the change at some point in the future was a consideration.
Old card back and new design with mental health resources
Student advocacy, however, was the most important driver.
“Our undergraduate student government came to us and was really interested in having this information added to help the student body as a whole,” says Mabee.
Once they had stakeholder buy-in from across the enterprise, the redesign process started. As with most campus cards, real estate on the back of the U Card was extremely limited. To make room for the new mental health info, other elements would have to be removed or reduced.
After multiple rounds of design changes, they ultimately included two crisis hotlines – the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and the university’s own crisis line. Even with just two numbers, the block of information took up nearly one-quarter of the card back.
The presentation provides a detailed look at how they transitioned from the prior design to the new one. Other topics include timelines, accessibility needs for card designs, QR codes vs. phone numbers, inclusion of mental health info for mobile credentials, and more.
Mabee’s presentation was part of a weeklong series of sessions that explored well-being from a variety of perspectives and areas of the campus enterprise. In tandem with more than 20 higher ed industry associations, NACCU helped create and promote the online conference, "Well-Being in Higher Education: Raising Literacy and Advancing the Conversation."
"Establishing a climate of well-being within university settings is a collective endeavor that transcends the confines of any single department," says to Dawn Thomas, NACCU CEO. "NACCU takes pride in collaborating with over 20 fellow higher education organizations to spotlight this critical issue, fostering dialogue, and illuminating how the campus card can serve as a gateway to supporting students on their paths to well-being."
You can check out Mabee's presentation, From Access to Assistance: Evolving Student ID Cards for Mental Health, on demand by creating a login and using the access code WELLBEING.
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At Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in Hanover, NH, the dining hall includes a new touchless self-service kiosk that reduces checkout times dramatically. By eliminating human interaction, item handling, and barcode scanning, transactions times have been cut to as little as 10 seconds.
The kiosks are from Mashgin, a Palo Alto-based company that has deployed its touchless self-checkout systems at more than 3,700 locations across the country. Customers include corporate cafeterias at Fortune 500 companies, professional sports stadiums, convenience stores, and more than 30 higher ed institutions.
At Dartmouth, students select their products and set them on the kiosk’s tray. Cameras automatically identify the items visually from any angle. This eliminates the need to move items individually from tray to tray or fumble with products to locate and scan barcodes. Even plated items – such as salads or hot foods – are recognized by the system, weighed, and priced.
Cameras automatically identify items from any angle, eliminating the need to fumble with products to locate and scan barcodes. Even plated items are recognized, weighed, and priced
“We initially piloted Mashgin’s technology in a 24/7 unmanned convenience store, and our students loved the technology and ease of use,” says Amelia Heidenreich, General Manager of Tuck Dining and Catering. “We decided to add a second unit to our dining hall to increase the speed of service.”
The implementation process for the kiosks at Dartmouth was simple.
Items with a barcode were imported using their “SKU” and linked to existing items in Mashgin’s global database. Items without a barcode, for example a plate of food, were added to the system by capturing images from different angles.
“Mashgin sets everything up during the deployment process, which typically takes less than an hour,” says Brandon Scott, Mashgin’s Vice President of Sales. “After deployment, the service staff at the dining facility can add new products themselves in less than 30 seconds per item.”
Though some items are enrolled in the system using a barcode, from that point forward, all items are identified by computer vision.
“That makes it more convenient for the user because they just put everything down no matter if it’s a bottle of water, a piece of fruit or a slice of pizza,” explains Scott. “Mashgin identifies and rings up everything within one second.”
The kiosks reduce queuing and friction that often deter customers. Additionally, faster throughput translates into more revenue for the dining operator.
Today, Dartmouth uses both the kiosk technology and normal checkout lines with cashiers. In the future, Heidenreich says they may consider deploying more kiosks.
To see the Mashgin kiosk in action, click on the video at the top of this page.
