<p>"New Identification Card Increases Security and Functionality among the Campus Community</p>
<p>Major changes of the Carnegie Mellon identification card system are being undertaken
this summer in preparation for the fall 2006 semester. The goal is to create a more
secure environment on campus and to take advantage of new technology.</p>
<p>Staff members from the Carnegie Mellon Card Office, Enrollment Services, Facilities
Management Services, Housing & Dining Services, Enrollment Systems, Campus Police,
ACIS, and other departments on campus have been working for quite some time in order
to develop an implementation plan for the new improved system. Perhaps the most
visible change is the creation and opening of the new Carnegie Mellon Card Office,
located at Warner Hall A15 (across from The HUB). </p>
<p>In addition, many of the building access control systems are being integrated into
the university?s academic building access control system. This integration will
allow for the data sharing of cardholder information and will reduce the locations
that cardholder data is stored. Some of the changes to the ID card system on campus
include integrated building access using a randomly generated card number encoded
directly onto the magnetic strip. This replaces the use of employees? social
security number as their card number. Students have been using a nine-digit card
number (that begins with 81) for the past two years. All employees will similarly
begin using a nine-digit card number (that begins with 82). Card readers provide
secure access to all residence halls and many of the academic and administrative
buildings on campus. </p>
<p>Lastly, the university is making it possible for students, staff and faculty to link
their ID card to their PNC bank account and to use their ID card as their ATM card.
Stop by the PNC E-Branch on the ground floor of the UC for additional information or
visit <a href=“http://www.pncbank.com/carnegiemellon[/url]”>www.pncbank.com/carnegiemellon</a>.</p>
<p>All of these changes will require the issuance of a new university identification
card, the ID+ Card. A campus-wide re-carding is required in order to make this
significant change, although meal plans and PlaidCa$h has already utilized the
student card number in place of the social security number.</p>
<p>The new ID+ Card, designed by Duen Horng Chau, Research Associate in the
Human-Computer Interaction Institute, will be easy to distinguish from the old card.
The white background is being replaced by a red photo montage and the card
orientation is now vertical for students, staff and faculty members. Students,
faculty, staff, spouses/partners, dependents, retirees and affiliates will receive
new identification cards in August.</p>
<p>Contact Information & More Information:
Carnegie Mellon Card Office
Warner Hall A15
412-268-5224
<a href=“mailto:idplus@andrew.cmu.edu”>idplus@andrew.cmu.edu</a>
<a href=“http://www.cmu.edu/idplus[/url]”>www.cmu.edu/idplus</a>
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<p>Yay for technology. Old CMU cards distinguish between school so that some ugrad kids couldn’t get into say, the Tepper building, on weekends while grad kids can. Hopefully they can change it so that professors/TA’s can authorize a Card ID to allow kids to enter security buildings when there is a need to do so. That’s probably the only other change I could suggest.</p>