ID cards

So, first idea. Well it's an old one really but I was talking to a new student the other day who reminded me of it.

I was talking to a new student about how he was settling in, how he found registration etc. The usual stuff. And he mentioned the Student ID. He said that he felt really deflated when he finished registering and got given a piece of paper and a bit of self-seal plastic. He went on to bemoan the fact that he was forking out £2,500 a year and they (the Uni) couldn't even afford proper ID cards.

This reminded me over the summer of a girl who was telling a group of us how she was embarrassed when comparing cards with her friends back home. They all had plastic credit-card size ID with colour photos and she whipped out a flimsy dog eared thing that's too big to fit in a wallet properly.

Another student recently remarked that it takes so long to do anything at Greenwich. I can't remember what specifically he was talking about but he used the ID card as an example: "you even have to laminate your own ID card here!".

So from all of this it seems that a new ID card might provide a bit of reward for trudging through registration and instill a bit of pride. I would also add that a card that fits in your wallet would increase convenience and maybe reduce the amount of lost cards (which are a steep £5 to replace).

But the strange thing is we used to have plastic cards. I had one when I did my first degree (1998-2001) and I also had one throughout my time as a full-time employee. I'm guessing that they were phased out around 2003 when the restructuring of Student Services and Registry (to create Student Affairs) happened to cut costs.

So cutting costs is one thing while going through a financial crisis but we're now in the "best financial position ever" (David Wills - Deputy V-C) so we should be able to afford a much more impressive ID card. Anyway this is supposed to be an ideas blog so here's some things we could do:

• Credit-card sized - Most banks, shops and other businesses issue cards like this so why not us? Also fits in your wallet so less chance of losing it.
  
• Colour photo - Gives us a more professional image, better for identification?
• Integrate with Oyster - Now this is a big ask, but imagine the amount of time it would save students, the University (in the long run) and TfL. Plus it would actually impress students which doesn't happen very often.
• Integrate with the Greenwich Card - This is easier than the Oyster and would again save students time. Would also open up access to more local discounts and encourage healthy living (by increasing use of the council leisure facilities).
• Put a RFID chip in it - no more scanning of cards at security desk, no need to fill in attendance sheets in lectures & seminars. Privacy problems though maybe?
• Make it a pre-paid Visa card as well - would be convenient for International Students yet to set up a bank account as cash from back home could be added to it and then used as a normal cash/debit card. Also a way of delivering hardship funds to students who are over their overdraft limit.

Can't think of anything else at the amount. Any more ideas?