October 13, 2005
New center to administer ID card innovations
A new office is opening on campus alongside the By George Café in the Odegaard Undergraduate Library: The Husky Card Account & ID Center will be a convenience for students and some staff.
The center will be open as of Oct. 11 for students needing new or replaced Husky Cards and staff wishing to open Husky Card Accounts.
Actually, the new center is the first step in an even larger Universitywide initiative to create a central office for all ID production, for students and employees alike. In addition to the existing services, the office will administer the UPASS when it moves to the ‘smart-card’ chip technology, expected in 2007.
Come that fall, the current UPASS sticker will be replaced with a smart chip in the ID card. All UW students and employees will be issued a new ID card, with a photo, that has a smart chip inside it. If you participate in the UPASS program, your chip will be activated for riding the bus.
The reason for the changes? Seven regional transit agencies — including Metro, Community Transit and Sound Transit — are working on a project called ORCA, which stands for One Regional Card for All, to update the current fare cards with smart chip technology. Embedded in the card is a tiny computer chip that be programmed to allow ridership on transit buses.
It will work in much the same way as a proximity card, which is placed near the reader unit on the bus and validates a person’s ability to ride.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to be involved in such a major project and look forward to serving the University community,” said Sherry Ochsner, Husky Card Manager.
Husky Card Account is a debit account that all currently enrolled UW students and employees can establish. It is accepted all over campus and by many local merchants. There are no annual fees or transaction fees, no minimum deposit, and all deposits are 100 percent refundable.
For a complete list of locations accepting Husky Card Account on the Web, go to http://hfs.washington.edu/husky_card/places/. For more information, call 206-543-7222.
