By Paul TakahashiThe Daily Northwestern
Administrators are discussing a proposal to give the WildCARD some plastic surgery.
Northwestern’s student and staff identification card was last redesigned in 1999, said Arthur Monge, manager of the WildCARD office.
Officials are discussing two changes to the card. The first change would highlight a campus landmark such as The Arch in the card’s background. The other change would make the WildCARD a keycard for university buildings and residence halls.
Weinberg sophomore Jason Sandler co-wrote an Associated Student Government resolution supporting efforts to work with the WildCARD office and University Publications to redesign the card’s appearance. ASG senators are scheduled to vote on the resolution next week.
Sandler, a Student Services Committee member, said he thought it was time to revamp the card’s background.
“We have the technology to change the WildCARD’s outdated design,” he said.
The redesign ultimately must be approved by University Services and NU President Henry Bienen, Monge said. The Board of Trustees also must approve any change to a keycard system.
“We’re running the students’ request through administrative channels,” Monge said. “We’re still in the very early stages of this.”
The card’s current background, chosen seven years ago, is known as a “gradient blend,” Monge said. The resolution’s authors would like to see the purple-to-white background changed to an image of a Northwestern landmark, such as The Arch.
But administrators have discussed whether an image of The Arch would alienate graduate students on the Chicago campus, Monge said. Administrators may opt for two card designs: one background icon from the Evanston campus and the other from the Chicago campus.
If the redesign is approved, the change would affect 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students, staff and administrators.
“The cost (of changing the background design) depends on the card stock and supply, color ribbons for printing and labor,” Monge said. “We’re looking at a slight increase from 39 cents per card to 47 cents per card.”
Making the WildCARD necessary for entrance into buildings and dorms would cost significantly more, Monge said. Currently, only the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Feinberg School of Medicine uses a keycard system, one that Monge said is more secure.
“We’re still in the preliminary stages of researching the industry,” Monge said. “We have a committee reviewing companies and venders. After they present their results, the university will make a decision.”
The plan has an estimated price tag of $150,000 to print new cards embedded with computer chips. This cost does not include the installation of card readers.
“The entire cost may be in the seven digits,” Monge said.
Monge estimates that it would be five to six months before a decision can be made about the new cards. It could take two years for full implementation.
Some students said ASG should focus its attention elsewhere.
“I think the design of the card right now is fine for the purpose it serves,” Weinberg freshman Parv Santhosh-Kumar said.
But redesigning the look of the WildCARD is worth the cost, Sandler said. He declined to comment about embedding computer chips into WildCARDs.
“I was dissatisfied with the aesthetic appearance of the WildCARD,” Sandler said. “Because the WildCARD is one of the most recognizable icons, it should be as modern and professional looking as possible.”
Reach Paul Takahashi at [email protected].
