Students no longer have to fear for their identities if they lose their WildCARDs.
Responding to rising rates of identity theft, the WildCARD office is issuing new WildCARDs without Social Security numbers to any members of the Northwestern community who request them.
Students, faculty and staff who bring their old cards can exchange them free of charge at the WildCARD office on the underground level of Norris University Center. People whose WildCARDs have been lost or stolen must pay a $15 replacement fee.
“We are not mandating that WildCARD holders be issued a new card, but the option is available for anyone who feels concerned about having the Social Security number visible on their existing card,” University Services announced in an e-mail late Thursday night.
Celine Chang went to the WildCARD office the morning after receiving the e-mail. She never complained about having her Social Security number on the card, but said she was relieved when she learned she could have a card without it.
“Even though it says I.D., people know it’s your Social Security number. I thought about it before, but I never said anything,” said Chang, a Weinberg sophomore. “Other schools don’t have it on there.”
Existing WildCARDs will continue to work, and students are not required to obtain new cards. The new cards look the same as the old ones, with a bright purple background and a photograph on the left side, but an assigned number, called an emplid, replaces the Social Security number. The new, shortened number is unrelated to a person’s Social Security number.
University Services began issuing WildCARDs nine years ago to reduce the handling of cash, increase security and standardize access for the university community. Many students cannot go a day without their WildCARDs, as they use them for dining hall meals, laundry and vending machines. WildCARDs can also be linked to LaSalle Bank accounts to serve as ATM cards.
“I use it for everything,” said Sungjoon Park, a McCormick freshman. “I haven’t replaced it yet, but I know that losing it would be a problem. It’s good they’re giving us the option.”
