Most students at UW-La Crosse do not wander too far without their trusty HigherOne ID card. Whether it is to get into a residence hall, the Rec Center, or to use a meal swipe, UWL students use their campus ID cards for a variety of things. UWL is currently in the process of transitioning ID cards, replacing the current HigherOne ID card with UWL’s own Eagle ID card.

The current ID card can be utilized in a variety of functions. Many students, like UWL sophomore Jenn Juley, love the convenience of the current ID card. “I use my ID card for food a lot, Einstein’s bagels mainly,” said Juley, “I also use it at the library to check out books.”

UWL students use their ID cards as a source of funds too. “Being able to utilize the campus cash and maroon dollars on our ID cards for things around campus without the need of cash saves a lot of time,” said junior Brian Schneider. Besides for money or laundry, the current ID cards can be used as a debit card if the student has a Higher one checking account.

UWL student Dan Beck utilizes this function of the HigherOne ID card. “It works nicely. I get direct deposit from work, and it is easy to transfer money and deposit checks with the camera,” said Beck.

With the changing of the campus ID cards come questions about what the change will affect. Larry Ringgenberg, UWL’s Director of University Centers, elaborated on the changes that the new ID card will bring about. “We are not changing the ID card system, we are just replacing the cards so there will no longer be a MasterCard logo on the identification card,” said Ringgenberg. “Everything else will remain the same.” This is a relief to students that utilize their ID cards for services around campus.

Although on campus functions will not be affected, this new card will affect student’s ability to connect their ID card to their bank account. Ringgenberg said that UWL is making this move to a new ID card because of PCI compliance. This stands for Payment Card Industry, which refers to a company’s requirements to ensure a secure environment for their debit card.

According to the UWL card office, this new Eagle ID card will function the same as the current HigherOne ID card, with the exception of the ability to connect it to a HigherOne checking account and use it as a debit card.

For more information on the new Eagle ID cards, visit the UWL card office in 223 Cartwright; call them at (608) 785-8891 or send them an email at [email protected].