Indiana University has revealed plans to roll out new smart cards this spring that will now be issued to cardholders across its system of campuses.
According to a report from The Campus Citizen, the new Crimson Card will replace the disparate campus cards currently being used across the various Indiana University campuses. The move is also expected to streamline university processes and meet voter identification requirements.
The challenge for Indiana was fairly straightforward, as different campuses were issuing different IDs. This practice was, among other things, limiting how students interacted with various university systems. The solution will be for all Indiana campus identification cards to be replaced with the new Crimson Card.
The crimson card comes with increased security measures, though it will retain a magnetic stripe, and will conform to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. The cards will, then, feature a visible expiration date rather than a more general “undergraduate” label.
The smart cards will be utilized for a wide range of functions beyond ID vetting, including campus payments and secure entry to university buildings and residence halls.
The new, uniform credential will also allow for common capabilities for students should they visit another Indiana campus. One reason in particular for the new, uniform card was to enable students of all campuses to share the same commerce. The only aesthetic difference between Crimson Cards issued at various campuses, will be slight water marks denoting the mascot or other similarly defining campus characteristic.
Students across all IU campuses attending 2017 spring and summer courses will be the first to receive the new Crimson Cards, after which all students will be required to have the new card. Returning students will be able to trade their old IDs at no cost, and student accounts including meal plans and the university’s EZ Deposit accounts will not be affected by the change.
