As Ashland University prepares to update hardware across academic and residence halls, all students, faculty and staff will be required to reprogram their AU ID cards before the spring semester. 

To make the process accessible, IT Services will set up multiple card-reprogramming stations across campus — in Convo, at the Safety Office and at the Rec Center. To update the card, owners should tap and hold their ID until it beeps. The first station in Convo was set up at dinner time on Dec. 8. The process will continue “throughout the winter semester and then at the start of the spring semester,” said Kyle Ackert, IT systems administrator.

According to Ackert, the change will not affect access during finals week or winter break. However, once campus reopens in the spring, all plastic ID card holders — students, faculty and staff — will need updated cards to enter buildings. 

“Whenever students come back in the spring semester, we’re going to work with the RAs and have stations set up in the dorm buildings,” Ackert said. A permanent card-formatting station will be set up at the Safety Services office on the first floor of the Hawkins-Conard Student Center for a “month or two.” 

Students who fail to update their cards before returning may face access issues. “They will not have access into academic buildings for night classes, more than likely,” Ackert said. 

Ackert encouraged the campus community to update their cards as soon as possible to avoid disruptions in January.