Penn State ID card -- the only card you'll need

Don't leave home without it.

A committee of students, staff and representatives from interested departments is working to redesign the ID cards so they will have more uses to students.

"I think the possibilities are endless as to what can be on this card," said Undergraduate Student Government President Sharon Entenberg, who sits on the committee.

The current card can be used for access to the a student's dorm, for meal plan points and for taking books from the library. The committee is considering allowing a second account on the card, separate from the meal points, for on-campus laundry, copy machines and vending machines. They are also looking into the possibility of allowing off-campus businesses and all bookstores to accept the card, and giving students the option of putting their banking on the card.

"It's the priority to add a lot of nice things, but (all additions) are voluntary," said Tom Gibson, assistant vice president of auxiliary services. "We're trying to give the card some utility."

The account for using laundry, vending and copy machines would be similar to the VendaCard, which allows students to put money on a card at their discretion for use at on-campus copying machines.

However, the account, which would allow students to purchase books, use the card off-campus and do their banking, hinges on the support of a bank. The committee is currently looking for a financial institution to work with.

"The bank is the key that makes the card active in the financial world," he said. "This is so you won't have to carry a lot of plastic around. We're going into an electronic age. We're going to be a cashless society."

When the committee began looking at banking possibilities, it was hoping that it would find a multi-bank option, Gibson said. A multi-banking system would allow students to have more than one option if they choose to bank on their card. Other universities that have a banking option offer only one bank for students to use their card with.

"The only thing we're worried about is that we're going to be the first institution with a multi-bank option," Entenberg said.

Although no decision has been made on which bank the University will use, Gibson said he would ultimately like to see students have the option of using the card for their financial aid and possibly for paying rent and all other transactions. He would also like to see the options be extended to the Commonwealth Educational System, where there may not be as many banks and ATM machines in the area.