Mobile ID Comes to More Places on Campus

Article by Blake Cooper / Photo by Douglas Levere

Published September 17, 2015 This content is archived.

In early 2015, Mobile ID made it possible to use a smartphone app in place of your UB Card at vending machines, Campus Dining locations and even laundry facilities. As of Fall 2015, the convenience of mobile technology is available at more places on campus.

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Blake.

Blake Cooper (UB Student, Class of 2016) is originally from Canandaigua, NY. He is studying Spanish, Linguistics and Comparative Literature, and beginning work on translating an Argentinian novel into English.

More mobile, in more places

The Mobile ID app is a free download for iPhone and Android. Once you authenticate with your UBITName and password, Mobile ID can be used in place of your UB Card in an expanding number of locations on campus.

According to Kevin Cleary, Campus Living’s Associate Director for Information Technology, "Laundry facilities in Fargo and Wilkeson are taking advantage of the Mobile ID system to allow students to reserve machines remotely using their smartphone."

And the use of smartphone technology for identification and payment on campus is likely to expand further with the introduction of Mobile Reader, a tool that allows any UB department to accept Mobile ID for payment and as ID for events.

Digital dining

Tablets are now available in several dining locations on campus to make ordering easier. According to Keith Curtachio, Director of IT for Campus Dining & Shops, tablets were installed in the Tiffin Room and promise to “enhance the level of service, as well as the customer experience.”

According to Keith, a new tablet in Perks coffee shop in the Ellicott Complex allows diners to build their own sundaes to order. Perks is also making use of a new app-based coffee rewards card.

Security is also improving, as each dining location on campus has been upgraded with new credit card terminals, making use of EMV smart chip technology. The chip is considered more secure than the magnetic strips currently used on most credit cards. It also protects the university from being liable for fraudulent transactions due to a policy shift by major credit card companies effective October 2015.