'Contactless' ONEcard
University announces new ONEcard featuring novel chip technology
10:28 a.m., Dec. 18, 2014--A new technology is coming to campus and the University of Delaware ID card will soon support it.
Michael Parisi, assistant director of computing for Facilities, Real Estate and Auxiliary Services, has announced that new ID cards will be issued to UD students, faculty and staff to support a new technology initiative called “contactless.”
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Contactless incorporates a chip on the ID card. It is secure, more reliable and easier to use as the cardholder can just place their card near a reader device instead of having to swipe it through a slot, Parisi said.
A successful pilot program involving contactless technology for electronic door access has been in operation in the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory (ISE Lab) since the building opened. The technology will be implemented in additional locations in the near future.
Before cardholders can take full advantage of the benefits afforded by the new technology, all existing ID cards must be replaced with new cards that have the contactless chip. For that reason, the ID Card Office is launching an initiative to put new, contactless-enabled ID cards into the hands of all students, faculty and staff members.
The new ID card will be called the ONEcard to reflect its newly expanding role on campus. It will be the official UD ID card, and it will replace all current and older versions of the ID card. It will automatically have any privileges and accesses that are already present on the existing ID card. It will also continue to incorporate the traditional magnetic stripe, for locations and services that have not yet been converted to contactless.
New cards will be distributed during spring semester 2015. Students, faculty and staff members will be contacted via email with a suggested block of appointment time to drop by the Student Services Building on Lovett Avenue to get the new card.
“We ask for everyone’s cooperation with the logistics of the process – for security reasons, cardholders must come in person so that we can verify identity, and the old card must be surrendered in order to get the new card,” Parisi said. “The actual replacement process will take less than five minutes, and we will work hard to keep wait-times to a minimum.”
The ID Card Office is located in the Student Services Building on Lovett Avenue, and can be reached at 302-831-CARD (2273). For more information, visit the website.
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson