Student identification cards will have a new look beginning with the Class of 2016 as a part of an initiative spearheaded by the Ohio University Student Senate.
Unlike the current student IDs, the new prints will feature OU’s Safe-T Patrol and OUPD’s phone numbers on the back.
Prints of the new IDs, which were made available this past Monday, will have the same front as the current cards.
Current students can choose to have their IDs switched to the new format for free, provided they present their old ID.
All incoming freshman will receive IDs featuring the new layout.
“I think it’s terrific,” Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi said. “Anything to make students more aware of the resources that we offer is great.”
The new back will also feature a QR code, which can be scanned with a smartphone, to direct students to university emergency contact numbers at ohio.edu/emergency.
Student Senate, the Division Student Affairs, Ohio Information Technology, OUPD and its Safe-T Patrol have been working for about two months to make the IDs available, said Sean O’ Malley, information technology communications manager.
The university is not requiring all students to switch to the updated IDs.
“I think they’re great. If you’re ever in a situation where you need those emergency numbers, you’ll always have them on your student ID,” Student Senate President Kyle Triplett said. “I think they’re really a great thing.”
The university will incur no additional costs because of the new ID design, O’Malley said.
“I think these will make it a lot easier for people to get access to emergency numbers if they need it,” he added.
sj950610@ohiou.edu
