This semester marks the first time that Miami of Ohio has printed cardholder birth dates on its student IDs since 2011, and a few short months later the decision seems to be paying dividends.
According to a report from The Miami Student, local bars are leveraging the change by requesting Miami student IDs at the door for admittance rather than state-issued IDs or driver licenses, which may carry false birth dates.
Despite the new advantage that bouncers have over their would-be age impersonators, ID vetting procedures remain fragmented. Some establishments have started requiring students to show two forms of ID, while others don’t require students to show their campus ID.
Per the report, most upperclassmen who carry the older student ID still don’t have birth dates on their cards. The consensus seems to be, however, the addition of birth dates on the student ID is making it more difficult for students to use a fake ID.
The report also suggest that there are murmurs of underage students scratching off the birthdate on their IDs.
The university’s Office of Residence Life says the the cards will be useful to the university when violations to the student code of conduct occur, particularly as it relates to alcohol offenses. When processing reports involving violations of the code of conduct are birth dates of the individuals involved are required, and the student IDs could be a valuable tool in that process.
Fake IDs remain a common, if not rampant, problem at colleges and universities across the country but the new policy at Miami shows that there are ways to stifle their use. Miami’s decision to print birth dates on its cards also shows that certain personal cardholder information can be used effectively and provide a valuable service.
