Campus Cards, College and University Identification and Security
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Texas Tech IT division continues efforts to protect student identity

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Tex., is attempting to stay “a step ahead of the curve” in the ongoing battle against ID theft. Not only is it changing the Social Security number as a student identifier to its own Tech ID number, but it has instituted other prevention measures as well, such as requiring a new password every 90 days similar to what many banks do now. The school also hosts short courses and round table discussions to raise awareness of the ID theft problem.

The university also realizes that campuses are easy targets for identity thieves because data sits in various places, such as class lists, organization records and documents from different departments. Texas Tech’s centralized IT department helps make sure the data is safe, says one administrator.

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By: Jim Fulton, Vice President at Digital Persona Inc.

Looking back at the last 18 months, I am amazed by the progress biometric civil ID programs have made around the world. Whether it is the national elections in Brazil and Nigeria, or the widespread ID enrollment program in India, fingerprint biometrics have been a significant factor in the success of many Civil ID programs.

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A 27-year-old man posing as a Harvard undergraduate student stayed in the dorms, ate in the school cafeteria and chatted with many Harvard students via Facebook before being found out by campus police. He was cited for trespassing and using a false identification card.

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A state audit found that personal and financial information for students considering attending the University of Maryland were stored on publicly accessible servers that could make students easy prey to ID thieves.

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High schools in Jefferson County, W.V. will be implementing biometric finger scanning in an effort to provide security for the students’ cafeteria accounts. Purpose of the program, according to school officials, is to eliminate clerical errors and to provide students with an easy way to identify themselves when using the cafeteria.

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Missouri State University in Springfield is rolling out its new Bear Pass, a student ID card that also provides door access and debit card functionality. The purpose behind the new card is to make the campus safer while keeping a student’s information secure, according to school officials.

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Fox News Business has taken a look at university IDs that also double as prepaid cards. Fox dubs the prepaid aspect as “the latest twist on a long tradition of college campus ID cards serving a dual financial purpose.”

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