A new technology feature in Syracuse University ID cards is causing to students to pay more to replace broken or lost cards.

Starting this semester, the new ID cards, which feature radio-frequency identification chips, will now cost $25 to replace for the first time and $40 to replace a second time. That’s a $10 increase for the first replacement and $15 increase for the second replacement compared to last year.

The increase in price of the ID cards is due to the cost of the radio-frequency chip. The chip is more expensive to purchase, said Eileen Simmons, director of Housing, Meal Plans and ID Card Services, in an email. Due to the change in ID cards, the printers on which the ID cards are printed had to be enhanced as well, she said.

“As new facilities come online, it allows the university the opportunity to integrate the newest technology,” Simmons said.

Students can pay to replace their ID card by charging it to their bursar account or by paying by cash or check. Faculty and staff can pay by cash or check. A new option allowing students, faculty and staff to pay by credit card will be available by January 2015, Simmons said.

With the new ID cards, students, faculty and staff will be able to put their card near a reader for access to a building instead of swiping it. They will not have to take the ID card out of their wallet, said Simmons.

Currently there are only two places on campus that utilize the RFID technology — Dineen Hall and the Green Data Center. There are ongoing conversations about equipping other buildings with the tap feature on the ID cards, Simmons said.

Students can still swipe into their residence halls and academic buildings using the new and old versions of the cards. There are no plans to phase out the old ID cards as of yet, Simmons said.

The change in ID cards also led to a change in the appearance of ID cards, which was seen in November and was suggested by a group of students, Simmons said.

The first department on campus to receive the new cards was the Department of Public Safety, said Hannah Warren, the public information and internal communications officer for DPS.

So far students have not been formally notified of the increase in price of ID cards. The new price is, however, featured on the ID card website. When students come to the Office of Housing, Meal Plans, and ID Card Services located in Steele Hall, they will be informed of the change in price, Simmons said.

Andrew Pregler, a senior broadcast and digital journalism major, was told about the change by his professors.

“My professors, they told us about this change last year, but I have not been told by the university,” Pregler said.

However, he said he believes that the change in price is reasonable.

“I think the increase in price is fine. I understand that they want to make the ID cards RFID and that costs a little more. The school where my sister goes is a lot more,” Pregler said.

However, some students feel the price increase is too much.

“Forty dollars is a lot for a replacement ID, especially an ID we did not originally have to pay for. It is an unnecessary cost,” said Javaughn Loftman, a sophomore in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. “We pay so much for this school and a replacement ID should be free. The amount of money we pay in tuition should cover things like that because little fees like this add up.”

Published on September 22, 2014 at 12:01 am

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