The South Dakota State University student ID has undergone a name change and rebranding. Now called the MyJacks Card, the student credentials maintain their previous functionality but feature a new look.

The initial idea for a new card design came up because there was confusion surrounding the name for the card, as students would report to card services and didn’t know what to call their credential. According to SDSU’s campus card services manager Kendell Rorhbach, in addition to the name some students were unaware of the functions the student ID card at South Dakota State.

According to the SDSU Collegian, Card Services partnered with the student union to devise a new name for the campus credential. The Union, in turn, consulted with student groups on campus until the MyJacks Card was born.

South Dakota State migrated from a swipe-only credential some three years ago, at which point students were required to get a new ID. Any students who received an ID in 2011 or later, then, are not required to get a new MyJacks Card. The newly redesigned MyJacks card has the same functionality as the cards issued after the 2011 change.

As in past years, University Marketing and Communications came up with the design for the card. If students want the new card, they can trade in their old ID in working condition for a half price upgrade of $10, with a full replacement costing $20.

Key to the MyJacks Card is Hobo Dough, SDSU’s declining balance funds. There are currently 15 off-campus locations that accept Hobo Dough, but Card Services is working to add more locations.

To help support use of Hobo Dough, SDSU posts deals and advertisements on the Hobo Dough Facebook page every Thursday and Friday throughout the school year. These deals and ads feature partnering off-campus businesses and the deals they offer to student using the declining balance funds.

The program is still in its first year and card services is still working with businesses on promotions and deals, but university officials insist that the Facebook page will be updated regularly with promotions, discounts and contests where students can win a Hobo Dough deposit.

The MyJacks Card website – where students can find the orientation video about the card and a full list of venues that Hobo Dough is accepted – has also been added as part of the card redesign.

The MyJacks Card can be managed via the website, enabling students to mark their card as lost and freeze its use so that funds cannot be withdrawn from the account. Likewise, if the card is found students can unfreeze the account via the website without having to get an entirely new card.

Through the Facebook page, contests and promotions, Card Services hopes to spark the use of Hobo Dough, as well as promote the “MyJacks” name on campus.