No card? No problem. Valley Dining Center allows entry with a wave of your hand
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University's Valley Dining Center (VDC) has introduced a new biometric, touchless entry system for students, faculty and staff. Campus community members can wave their hand across a turnstile reader instead of swiping their Bronco Card to access their meal plan or use their Dining Dollars balance.
The MorphoWave system is considered more sanitary, secure and convenient, especially for those who occasionally forget or lose their Bronco Card.
"Using this system will make the entrance to the VDC much quicker and easier without having to worry about your student ID working or checking in if you forgot it," says junior Anna Kocol, a social work major from Chicago who registered for the new system when it debuted this month. "I am excited to experience the seamless walk-through. I am also excited that the anxiety of checking my coat pocket for my designated ID placement will be history!"
To enroll, participants are asked to wave their right hand across the MorphoWave reader a few times. This reader translates their hand scan into biometric points, which are saved securely in the system but also cannot be related back into fingerprints. Specifically, fingerprints are not saved.
This new way of entry is not required, and Bronco Cards will still be required when using Guest Passes, for students who have a meal plan but want to use their Dining Dollars and for students who do not want to enroll in the MorphoWave system.
If a faculty or staff member doesn't have a meal plan but has a Dining Dollars account, the system will automatically deduct the amount of Dining Dollars an entrance costs based on the time of day.
Additionally, MorphoWave will be added to the dining center on the third floor of the new student center.
To register, Dining Services will host scheduled enrollment tables in the lobby area of the VDC. Check signage at the VDC for times and dates enrollment will be available.
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