ECU converts to one card system

Beginning in January, all East Carolina University students, faculty and staff members will have new identification cards as the campus moves to a unified system of “smart” cards, not just to identify individuals, but also to replace other cards now used on campus for financial transactions.

Next year, each member of the campus community will be issued an ECU 1 Card-the replacement for the current official photo ID card. It also replaces the dining card, library barcode, activity sticker and copier/vending card. All these functions will be combined in the new card, which will have encoded magnetic stripes and a computer chip.

According to Jennifer Sutton, director of ECU’s One Card office, new ECU 1 Card will serve as more than an ID card-library card-dining card-activity card. Students, faculty, and staff cardholders will also be able to open a university spending account-the Gold Key Account-which may be used for a variety of purposes, such as buying tickets for campus events, paying library fines, or other transactions at university-run operations. A small cash amount may also be added to the ECU 1 Card for incidental spending at campus copiers and vending machines. As the campus Dining Card, the ECU 1 Card will have encoded information about a meal plan or declining balance account.

In the near future, this same card will contain important data, such as security clearance for residence halls and other facilities, Sutton said.

New students and medical school personnel have completed the recarding process for the ECU 1 Card. Other students, staff and faculty are registering in November. The cards will be issued in January.