“They are finally what I thought my student ID would look like,” freshman Aaron Smith said last Monday when he picked up his new Cat Card.

With the New Year came some new changes to WSC. Student ID’s were completely redesigned. The old white ID’s with a bar code on them have been replaced with black and yellow Cat Cards. These cards are not only different in appearance, but they no longer have a bar code or magnetic strip. Now they’re a contactless smart card.

Cat Cards replaced the old IDs because their technology compliments the upcoming campus plans to add Papercut-enabled Sharp copiers on January 18, and for automatic keyless building locks beginning Fall 2016. Some students may want to punch a hole in their card to store it on their keys, but the Network and Technology Services (NATS) recommends not doing that, because it may damage the chip and antenna imbedded inside the card that makes it work.

These cards serve the same purpose as the old IDs, they just work differently. Now, instead of handing your card over to be scanned by staff when eating at Chartwells, it can be held over a receiver for two seconds until it scans. It’s germ free. They can also still be used in the library, the lower cafeteria, to get into campus events, and to check out items in the rec and library.

The first few days of the semester were a transitional period for students to replace their old ID’s with their new Cat Cards outside of the cafeteria. Hundreds of students made this transition already.

David Graber, who was of great help in distributing the new cards, commented on their potential to improve printing here at Wayne State.

“We are looking forward to deploying the Cat Cards as part of our campus printing system.  By utilizing their Cat Cards, students will be able to release print jobs without having to go through the cumbersome process of logging into their Papercut Accounts.”

Deployment of the new copying and printing system will occur this week, and we are looking forward to providing new and better printing solutions for students.” Graber said.

Sophomore Morgan Parsley shared her opinion after getting her new Cat Card.

“I like them. I like how the school is doing more to advance technologically,” Parsley said. “I also like how the pictures are clearer, because now mine doesn’t look as bad as I thought it was.”

Student support for the new cards is high, but alumni opinions vary. Some alumni don’t like the new Cat Cards because they can no longer show their old IDs to get into campus athletic events for free.

If you still haven’t gotten a Cat Card, it can be picked up at the circulation desk in the library. New students without a photo yet should visit Student Financial Services in the Hahn building to get their cards printed as well. It’s recommended that students keep their old IDs to use with the older copiers for the first couple weeks of school. If your Cat Card is lost, stolen, damaged, or you want to retake your picture, you should visit Student Financial Services. And if the card isn’t working, please contact NATS at 402-375-7107.