Old Wildcard ID accepted at Saturday’s game

By Will Wright | Assistant News Editor

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Students with old Wildcard IDs were let into the UK football game on Saturday, despite an email from UK Athletics sent Friday stating new IDs would be required for entry.

“We just wanted to make sure we gave everyone adequate time,” said Nathan Brown, administration captain for UK Police. “It’s very important students get (the new ID), but it’s also important we keep good customer relations through the transition.”

I got into the stadium without any problems, said Ally Buchanan, marketing and management junior.

An announcement from UK Police this week will let students know if old IDs will be accepted for entrance to football games in the future, Brown said.

He said about 20,000 students have already received a new ID. A student’s first ID costs $15. It is $30 to replace, up from the $20 replacement fee for old IDs.

“It was kind of annoying having to switch it out, but I understand why with the new security systems,” said Allie Decker, communications and marketing sophomore.

The price increase to $30 is due to the complexity of the card, and was not designed to make a profit, Brown said.

But “they may have made money in the past,” Brown said. “It’s designed just to be sustainable.”

A card costs the university between $10 and $15 by the time it gets to a student, Brown said.

“I had to replace mine last semester and it was a pain,” Buchanan said. “I think (the price) is way too high, especially because I live off campus and I only really use it for tests and stuff.”

The new ID will play a role in accessing locations on campus other than Commonwealth Stadium.

“There’s a host of items that are associated with that card that make it more difficult to exist on campus without having it,” Brown said.

Students will need the new ID to enter some campus buildings, such as White Hall Classroom Building. The doors to certain medical laboratories will also be locked for those without a new ID.

However, some restrictions will only be in place after hours.

“Classroom Building will not be completely locked down all day,” Brown said. “It’s not plausible.”

There also will be a record of the student ID numbers that have used their ID to enter buildings, and the time they entered.

Brown said there is no need to worry about that information being using improperly.

“There were concerns that there was personal information on the card, but really that’s not the case,” Brown said. “All the information is stored on the database. The only thing that’s on the card is the card number itself.”

Students will need their ID more this year than any other, Brown said.

“Anyone who lives at … any of the residence halls understands this is not simply a piece of plastic I buy my lunch with,” Brown said. “I think it’s going to get to the point where students think they need it just as much as their cell phone or wallet.”