JagCard up for discussion
Ashley Whitaker
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: News
A small-scale debate about JagCards has started among students and staff on campus.
Every student at Augusta State University uses their JagCard, but some more than others. Pam Lightsey, the JagCard manager, has been on campus for more than 20 years. She said that she has seen the JagCard evolve over her career at Augusta State.
"I think that overall, students are using the JagCard more," she said. "It has definitely grown over the past couple of years, especially this past year."
In fact, Lightsey said that since the last fall semester, JagCard users have increased.
"We've got close to 3,500 students with money on their JagCard," she said. "And that's just for this semester."
According to Lightsey, the JagCard is more than just a student ID card, it is a ticket to events all over campus. She said it is also the only way students can enter computer labs and buildings on campus after hours. It is also used in the testing center and is a ticket of sorts into athletic events held by Augusta State.
"My biggest thing right now is to let the students know that it is not just an ID card," she said. "There are a lot of things tied to it."
While the students on campus use their JagCard every day, the residents at University Village, which serves as Augusta State's dorms, use their cards considerably more. The JagCard is, essentially, their key to the dorms. If students need a new JagCard, they must pay a $15 replacement fee to have a new one produced. Lightsey admitted that students who live at the University Village typically see more wear and tear on their cards.
"For University Village, the student who lives there has to have their JagCard to get in the front gate," Lightsey said. "They use it for the main access door to their room. It slides in and out like a hotel key."
However, Lightsey insisted that the replacement rate for JagCards is "pretty low."
"Most of the replacements we encounter are students who are trying to use it (JagCard) as a key to open a locked door or to scrape something," she said. "The normal wear and tear does not account for massive abuse like that. Usually, the normal wear and tear happens if, say, you keep the card in your front pocket and it rubs against the fabric of your jeans. That kind of thing."
Every student at Augusta State University uses their JagCard, but some more than others. Pam Lightsey, the JagCard manager, has been on campus for more than 20 years. She said that she has seen the JagCard evolve over her career at Augusta State.
"I think that overall, students are using the JagCard more," she said. "It has definitely grown over the past couple of years, especially this past year."
In fact, Lightsey said that since the last fall semester, JagCard users have increased.
"We've got close to 3,500 students with money on their JagCard," she said. "And that's just for this semester."
According to Lightsey, the JagCard is more than just a student ID card, it is a ticket to events all over campus. She said it is also the only way students can enter computer labs and buildings on campus after hours. It is also used in the testing center and is a ticket of sorts into athletic events held by Augusta State.
"My biggest thing right now is to let the students know that it is not just an ID card," she said. "There are a lot of things tied to it."
While the students on campus use their JagCard every day, the residents at University Village, which serves as Augusta State's dorms, use their cards considerably more. The JagCard is, essentially, their key to the dorms. If students need a new JagCard, they must pay a $15 replacement fee to have a new one produced. Lightsey admitted that students who live at the University Village typically see more wear and tear on their cards.
"For University Village, the student who lives there has to have their JagCard to get in the front gate," Lightsey said. "They use it for the main access door to their room. It slides in and out like a hotel key."
However, Lightsey insisted that the replacement rate for JagCards is "pretty low."
"Most of the replacements we encounter are students who are trying to use it (JagCard) as a key to open a locked door or to scrape something," she said. "The normal wear and tear does not account for massive abuse like that. Usually, the normal wear and tear happens if, say, you keep the card in your front pocket and it rubs against the fabric of your jeans. That kind of thing."
Be the first to comment on this story