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A few people cannot get new ID cards yet

April 18, 2005

KALAMAZOO--All Western Michigan University students, faculty, staff and retirees are encouraged to get new photo IDs during April, but a small number of people with old ID cards do not have records in the new system and cannot get new cards yet.

Those affected include campus ministers and visiting or adjunct faculty who are not employed by the university, as well as those who have memberships at the Student Recreation Center through the WMU Alumni Association or as spouses of employees.

Collectively, these groups are known as "affiliates" and traditionally have been tracked in databases separate from the ones for students and employees, according Joel Fletcher, director of systems and operations. With the new system, everyone is in a common database and is assigned a Western Indentification Number (WIN), which is the new universitywide standard. Information technology staff are making the transition and merging all of the old, separate databases as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, the Student Recreation Center and other offices on campus are making accommodations for those in the affected groups.

Through May 1, only old WMU ID cards will work in campus card-swipe readers, and beginning May 2, only new cards will work. The urgency for getting a new photo-ID varies. Those members of the university community who use their existing card for building access or for services in the libraries, dining halls, recreation center and elsewhere, obviously have a more urgent need than those who rarely or never use their current card.

Media contact: Thom Myers, 269 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu

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