Copyright© 1999 by School Services of California, Inc.
Student Identification Cards Raise Student
Concerns
The Chronicle of Higher Education recently carried an article that express the concerns of students at Foothill-De Anza Community College District over the new high-tech I.D. cards. The students seemed to be concerned with the exclusive corporate tie-ins that are part of the new credit card style I.D., and they resent having company logos on the card they use to check out library books, to attend campus events, or to sign in at language and computer laboratories.
Designed with a computer chip on the front and a magnetic strip on the back, the card includes a color photograph of the student, a library-user number, and a student number. It is similar to cards being introduced at other institutions. The front of the card also lists an account number for Z-Line, a telephone company that is offering students free voice-mail service and, if they sign up for it, long-distance service. Students who use the voice-mail service "may sometimes" hear ads for other Z-line services.
Students who elect to open up a bank account with Citibank can also use the I.D. card as their bankcard by having the magnetic strip activated. The strip can also be activated as a credit card, with First USA, although for now, only Foothill College students have that option.
Eventually, the college hopes to institute a system that would allow students receiving financial aid to have the money deposited directly into their Citibank accounts. Students could then retrieve the money by using the card at an automatic teller machine. The card's chip monitors activity on students' debit accounts with the community college district, allowing them to buy merchandise at the college's bookstore, pay for photocopies at campus copiers, and buy soda from some vending machines, including those placed on the campuses as part of the district's exclusive contract with Coca-Cola.
University officials say the arrangements benefit the institution and provide greater convenience to students - Citibank pays the colleges $8 for each new account. The colleges are also planning to use the magnetic strip to keep track of how much time students spend in supervised writing labs and media centers, so the district can be reimbursed by the state for the students' "contact hours" with college instructors. College officials hope to use the strip to allow students to participate in a new "loyalty program" with local merchants, which would let the student earn points or awards for patronizing participating stores.
District administrators noted that the card is optional and concerns are only being expressed by very few of the 37,000 students who attend the colleges. They do acknowledge that students who don't get the card will find it inconvenient to check out library books or use a computer lab. Critics of the card are concerned about their privacy and being "bombarded" with commercial messages when they use the voice-mail system.
It is hard to stand in the way of technology in the Silcon Valley.
-- Arnold Bray