Stevens has announced that the DuckCard system will be transitioning to a mobile model, allowing students to use their smartphone’s ecard functionality around campus instead of carrying physical plastic cards. However, the initial release from the Department of Information Technology and DuckCard Office left a number of questions unanswered. Just what are the intricacies of the new system, what kinds of changes are being made around campus to accommodate it, and what do Stevens students think about it all?
Many students have already set up their Mobile DuckCards through the Transact eAccounts App, and Stevens has told The Stute that all readers around campus should now be tap-enabled. However, according to students who spoke with The Stute, the DuckCard Office policies surrounding this transition are unclear.
Although Mobile DuckCards currently operate in conjunction with the existing plastic cards, Stevens has told The Stute that this is only a transitory protocol until May 31. “During the rollout of Mobile DuckCard, Plastic DuckCards were kept enabled to serve as a backup option in case anyone encountered issues with their Mobile DuckCard, device, or card readers,” said Tej Patel, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the university. “However, soon, plastic DuckCards will be disabled for individuals who have an active Mobile DuckCard. The upcoming update to the Transact software will introduce a tool that will automatically disable plastic cards when a Mobile DuckCard is created.”
To even use the new system, however, requires that a student have a modern smartphone with near field communication (NFC) capabilities, which is what allows contactless mobile payment services like Apple Pay to work. iPhones predating the iPhone 6, as well as many more modern non-Apple devices, lack the hardware necessary for contactless payment. If you don’t know if your smartphone is NFC-enabled, reference this list to find out.
According to Mr. Patel and Oscar Hernandez, Operations Coordinator for the DuckCard Office, Stevens will work with such students and continue to offer physical plastic cards. “We understand that some students or faculty/staff might have incompatible devices, so the physical DuckCard will always be available for those that need it,” explained Mr. Hernandez.
Mr. Hernandez also offered insight into why the Mobile DuckCard system was developed and why it is being implemented now. “The initiative was taken to keep Stevens at the forefront of innovation. By the way, we are the first university in New Jersey to have implemented mobile credentials,” he said. He listed some reasons for the change, including the reduction of plastic waste, saving costs for both the school and students by eliminating the card loss fee, and saving time for the DuckCard Office, which no longer has to print a large number of new cards. Mr. Patel called the new system a “secure and user-friendly platform that is cost-effective and fully managed by Stevens IT, ensuring a seamless and hassle-free experience for all.”
In response to a question about how the changes will affect the DuckCard Office, Mr. Patel said that “in light of the decreased volume of activities in the DuckCard Office, other resources have been redirected to support Workday Student and other systems utilized by Student Accounts. The DuckCard Office will still employ student workers as necessary.” Mr. Hernandez said that the office has not changed for now and is preparing for the approaching summer and fall semesters.
The administrators also want to remind students that signing into Mobile DuckCard on multiple devices is considered ID duplication, which is strictly prohibited by the school’s terms and conditions and will be enforced. “These users will have three days to comply, or we will disable their ability to provision a Mobile DuckCard,” warned Mr. Hernandez.
At the time of this article’s publication, several services around campus that require a school employee to hold student IDs, including library study room reservations, still required a physical DuckCard. In response to this, Mr. Hernandez noted, “We are working with departments such as the library to find alternative processes. We are still ironing out such issues and hope to finalize them by the summer just before the start of the incoming class.”
Mobile DuckCards appear to have garnered a mostly positive reception among the student body. The students with whom this reporter spoke were largely optimistic about the new system, which they viewed as improving the convenience of accessing rooms and making payments around campus.
Kevin Castner Jr., a student with extended early access to Mobile DuckCard, called himself a “pretty big fan” of the new system. “I usually have my phone already in hand as I am walking to a door or through a turnstile, so a quick tap is often very convenient.” However, he noted some perceived problems of the new system. “I know of some doors in the towers, including the one to my apartment, that the eAccounts DuckCard does not work on currently. […] I do not think it’s a very good idea to completely eliminate the physical DuckCard. If your phone breaks or dies without a physical DuckCard as a backup, both the key to your building and the means to call somebody to let you in are gone. I would also hope that student organizations who currently use magstripe readers to keep track of event attendance are given or are partially subsidized by Stevens for [NFC] readers.”
Another student, who started using Mobile DuckCard after the official launch, said that he already never uses the physical one, and thinks that the new mobile infrastructure was implemented “surprisingly well.” However, he also expressed concern about the planned retirement of physical cards for most students. “I think the majority of people come across a time where they need some form of student ID in other situations outside of college to prove they are students. If they want to make it a choice that’s fine, but they should make it very well known that it’s an option.” When this reporter told the student about the security reasons for limiting DuckCards to only mobile or physical for any given student, he said the change made more sense to him. “I think deactivating them makes sense so people can’t give their IDs to other people and still be able to use it as well from their phones. I like the idea of not letting people have multiple IDs to scan with, as people could give their IDs to other people to buy food with at the dining locations on campus, which I’ve already witnessed.”
Another student, who said he owns a phone that isn’t compatible with the new Mobile DuckCards, also liked the changes. “Nothing changes for me and everyone who has a compatible phone gets to enjoy the benefits,” he said. “As long as they keep everyone who doesn’t have a compatible phone in mind, I’m happy.”
There are other features of using Mobile DuckCard that some students aren’t aware of. Phones running iOS can be used as a DuckCard while asleep, and many phones, including iPhones, can unlock rooms and be allowed to pay even with too little remaining battery to turn on normally.
Those with further questions about the new service can contact the DuckCard office at duckcard@stevens.edu or visit the office on the first floor of the Howe Center.
