Many universities are now using the backs of their student ID cards to provide the campus community with valuable contact information for students or faculty that may find themselves in need of support. Most recently, the University of North Texas has joined this trend by printing resource hotlines on all UNT campus cards after being inspired by a student government member that lost a close friend to suicide.

UC San Diego (UCSD) is accepting preferred names in its campus databases, with future plans to extend the service to printing names on student ID cards. This marks UCSD’s first foray into preferred names and will enable students to submit both a preferred name and pronoun that they wish to be referred to by the university, with those designations being reflected in most campus records systems.

In a recent addition to the company’s tech article series, ColorID’s David Stallsmith discusses the options at a university’s disposal should it decide to pursue open-source hardware and software solutions. Opting for open-source solutions can offer an alternative to the traditional practice of opting for card system vendor solutions and the comprehensive ecosystems that come with.

In 2017, the University of Georgia made the advancement of card technology a priority on campus. After long leaning on a combination of mag stripe and prox card technologies, the need to update and upgrade was more than evident. So UGA’s OneCard Oversight Committee examined its card environment from within, and focused its decision making on a desire to own the entire card system process — encryption keys and all.

The University of Connecticut One Card Office is now providing students with the option to have a preferred name printed on the backs of their campus cards. The university also opted to maintain student legal names on the Husky One Cards.

The latest update to the legislation in North Carolina that would make college and university student ID cards a valid form of voter identification in the state is a postponement of the deadline decision date. This week, the state House and Senate approved and signed a bill that delays implementation of the photo identification requirement for voting until the 2020 election cycle.

The University of New Mexico is in the throws of building a preferred name policy for student ID cards. The three-phase process has already seen  affirmed or preferred first names added to LoboCards and diplomas, with more support to come.

A member of the California State Assembly has crafted a bill calling for a host of phone numbers, including that of Planned Parenthood, to be printed on all student ID cards issued in the state. Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel recently introduced Assembly Bill 624, which would apply to student ID cards issued not only by K12 schools, but those issued by state colleges and universities as well.