Stony Brook students are sporting a fresh look with the new Campus ID cardsissued this past week. With an imbedded computer chip, color photo, and expandedcapabilities, the new card is a significant improvement over the old ID cardingsystem.
‘After 10 years with the old card, it was time we changed the system,’said Lynn Davis, Staff Associate, Campus Card Office.
The innovative new Campus Card can be used at the library, with a meal plan,and to access residence halls. The Campus Card office is also introducing SBE-cash, which runs on two purses, or accounts, both controlled through the imbeddedgold chip on the ID card.
The first is for vending and laundry, and the second for purchasing capabilityat both bookstores, the Seawolves Marketplace, Computer Corner, and the MelvilleLibrary Gallery Cart. The details of the new card system can be found in thebooklets given to each student.
Students were issued cards at the Mass Carding events which ran at the HealthSciences Center, and at the Melville Library for four days.
‘The process was fast and the days and times were convenient for me,’said Zaid Amanuel, a senior.
The push for a new card system most likely came with the need to upgrade theexisting accounts.
‘With the new cards, accounts will be more secure and will be linked tothe student record,’ Davis said.
Cybermark, the vendor issuing the cards, manufactures the gold emblem smartchips. The funding for the project comes from state issued accounts providedthrough the Campus Card Office.
Though students were held in long lines outside the Alliance Room in the Melvillelibrary for their new cards, most did not mind the wait. The Alliance room wasset up to accommodate six photo booths and a large influx of students.
The cards can also be used along side a banking account with the Teachers FederalCredit Union (TFCU). With ATM, on-line banking, and checking capacities, theCampus Card works with off campus retailers as well.
Barnes & Noble College Bookstore, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, and Tower Recordsare only a few of the many locations accepting the new ID card bank account.Supermarkets, including A & P, Pathmark, King Kullen, Waldbaums, and gasstations such as Amoco, Exxon, and Mobil, also take the Campus card.
‘The student turnout and response was excellent. We issued cards to morethan 95 percent of the residents,’ said Davis.
Though the mass carding event ran for four days and in two locations, studentswho missed the times will be issued cards after May 6th in the AdministrationBuilding, Rm. 103, with no extra cost. The old cards will be in effect untilMay 20.
