Faculty, staff and students are discovering that new identification cards being issued through the Universal ID Card System are the key to obtaining a variety of University goods and services.
Universal Photo ID cards feature digital color photographs of the ID holder, magnetic stripes, library bar codes and a Uniqname for each member of the University community. When fully implemented, cardholders will be able to use their ID card at all three U-M campuses—Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint.
The Universal Photo ID cards are designed for personal identification; access to some computing facilities, residence halls and other University buildings and rooms; financial services; and borrowing privileges at the library.
Neither the employee’s unit nor the employee will be charged to replace an expired ID card. Current employees must bring their old photo ID when they apply for a new Universal ID. The old ID card will serve as verification of the employee’s identity.
Employees who have photo ID cards that have not yet expired do not need a new card. However, if the card doesn’t have a magnetic stripe, they may want to replace it with a new card.
New employees must present photo identification—a drivers license or passport—to verify their identity. They also must present a UMID001 form, designed specifically to give the ID issuing station the necessary employment information. This form can be obtained from DPS and from U-M Hospitals and the U-M-Dearborn and Housing/Entree Plus issuing stations.
Faculty and staff will have to pay a $10 replacement fee if the card is lost or stolen.
The new cards are made of a durable plastic laminate and include a hologram to detect tampering. The cards cannot be modified without destroying the photograph and printing.
The cards should be kept away from strong magnetic fields and from other cards with magnetic stripes because they have a high coercivity magnetic stripe that could nullify the other cards.
With the new Universal Photo ID, faculty and staff no longer will have to carry a separate U-M Library card. The library bar code will be put on the ID card when it is issued. Employees should turn in their old library card when the new ID is issued.
At present, cardholders are not being issued a Personal Identification Number (PIN). A PIN may become necessary in the future for some card-based services and touch-tone phone services. PINs will be associated with particular services, not necessarily with the ID card.
For information about the Universal Photo ID, call DPS, 763-3434 or 747-4066; Hospitals ID/Key Office, 763-6376; Housing/Entree Plus, 763-4632 or 763-6294; or U-M-Dearborn, 593-3523.
