This fall, the College will issue new IDs to students that will overhaul the way Dartmouth's Validine System works, but students probably will not be able to see the difference.
The new IDs will have a different magnetic stripe that will allow the College to install a wider array of services than are currently possible.
But they will appear, "just like the ones you have now, only the stripe is bigger," said William Barr, associate director of administrative services.
The new strips could be used for new services, such as for laundry machines, but there are currently no such plans, Barr said.
"That's certainly part of the options, but those need haven't been defined yet," Barr said.
"It's to give us the platform with which we can broaden our current system," Barr added. "You'll benefit from it at some point in time."
Due to proprietorship laws, the College IDs can only be used with systems that use reading terminals from Griffin Technologies, the manufacturer who provided Dartmouth with its entire Validine network 11 years ago, Barr said.
Although the new magnetic strips will also come from Griffin, they can be used with terminals from other companies, because those laws do not apply, Barr added.
The College will not have to change all the new terminals, only the part inside the terminals that read the strips, Barr said.
"We'll have to switch our readers but terminals will look the same," Barr said. "It's no big deal."
The College Bursar's Office, Dartmouth Dining Services, the Validine Office, and the Dean's Office made the decision to switch to the new strips at the end of the Spring.
