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Cards replace keys at Texas university

Friday, August 22, 2008

Rice University, Houston, has implemented a new wireless door lock system to enhance school security. Students will now have only to swipe their mag stripe student ID card to gain entry into doorways. The new system enables Housing and Dining to activate and deactivate room access via a wireless network instead of a manual configuration.


“The Basis G system by Stanley Bess is a brand new system and allows us to wirelessly configure rooms from our office instead of sending someone out there every time a student loses his key,” said a university administrator. Previously, students would have had to wait for a university employee to reconfigure a new lock.

Another issue at the school is that in the past students needed two sets of keys to gain entry to their dorm room. This also can save a student money. In the past, lost keys cost a student $100 because it mean recoding keys and locks. Now, it’s just $10 to replace a lost ID card.

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Arizona State University, Tempe, and the state’s largest privately-held bank have partnered to implement a MasterCard student ID for students and faculty. Labeled the Pitchfork ID after the school’s nickname, the Sun Devils, the MasterCard is intended to function as a check card and student ID, enabling access to dorms, recreation centers and meal plans.

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VingCard Elsafe and BMW Group have developed a new solution that enables drivers to book hotel rooms on the go and then access their guestrooms using their NFC-enabled car keys. Here’s how it works:

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Some students at Utah Valley University, Orem, are looking for donations that will give them seed money to develop their own iPhone app that could double as a student ID card.

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The University of Arizona, Tucson, has rolled out a new campus card that includes contactless functionality. The new CatCard will be given to incoming students during student orientation and will be able to do the same things current CatCards can. However, existing students, if they want to upgrade, will have to fork over $25.

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A new partnership between Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minn. and U.S. Bank will enable the school to offer enhanced banking services to its students, faculty and staff through the school’s campus ID card.

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Social Security numbers and credit card information of 2,818 users of a University of Maine computer server may have fallen into the hands of hackers, according to university officials.

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