New Student IDs To Be Distributed Over Summer

By: Melinda Fusco

Posted: 5/27/07

The end of another semester is here and

students and faculty with soon receive newlydesigned

Husky One Cards for the start of the

2007-2008 school year. The Husky One Card

office has announced this week that the distribution

of the new IDs will be available for pick-up

May 14 to May 18, the week after finals.

Because the majority of students will not be

on campus the week after finals, the goal of the

Husky One Card office was originally to have the

cards ready for distribution during finals week,

according to Ruth Francis, manager of the Husky

One Card office. However, the plan was delayed

along the way.

"Because we ran into a few delays producing

the cards, unfortunately [the card producer] can?t

get them to us before finals are over," Francis

said. "So, this was our plan B, and if students

don?t pick them up we?ll mail them."

Cards that are not picked up on campus will be

mailed to students? PeopleSoft billing addresses,

Francis said.

The late arrival of the new cards will cost the

Husky One Card office much more than expected,

Francis said.

"Imagine mailing 15,000 cards instead of having

them picked up," Francis said. "Plus the

regional [branch campuses] - that?s another 4,000

[cards] - and that will be a huge cost."

The 15,000 cards Francis referred to include all

undergraduate and graduate students at the Storrs

campus. The new IDs will be free to students, she

said. As usual, the freshmen will receive their IDs

at orientation this summer.

"The old cards will be deactivated the day

the new cards are activated," Francis said.

"Everything transfers to the new card" - Husky

Bucks and meal points, for example.

In May 2006, the Husky One Card office held

a design contest for a new Husky One Card. After

many rounds of voting by students. Ai-Chi Lu,

a 6th-semester computer science and engineering

major, won the contest. Her personal design,which she said was inspired by the current

UConn Web site, has a futuristic and precise

feel.

"I originally entered this contest because I

wasn?t satisfied with the current UConn ID, so

when I saw the opportunity to make a change

I was pretty excited to take on the challenge,"

Lu said.

Lu said she has always loved art and design,

and she?s made various designs for the School

of Engineering and Web sites. For designing the

winning ID, Lu received $250 in Husky Bucks.

"I feel most rewarded for being able to use

my own custom-designed ID in my own college,"

Lu said. "I?m really happy to know that

my ID will be used by over 20,000 UConn

students [and faculty]. I just hope everyone will

like it as much as I do."

It is the university?s goal to enable students,

faculty, and staff to use many services on campus

with their Husky One Card, according to

the Husky One Card office. It can currently

be used for access to the residence halls, the

Student Recreational Facility and the dining

halls (with a valid meal plan). In addition,

Husky Bucks can be used for doing laundry

and photocopying, as well as making other

purchases in various locations on the Storrs and

regional campuses.

The new IDs will replace the current design,

which has been in use since the Husky One Card

office opened five years ago, Francis said.

Husky One cards can be picked up at the

Husky One Card office, which is located on the

second floor of the Wilbur Cross building, from

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 14 to May18.