HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Student IDs at Marshall University are going mobile.
Starting now, current Marshall students and active faculty and staff can add their Marshall ID cards to Apple Wallet and, by doing so, use their Apple iPhones and Apple Watches at campus locations where physical IDs are used.
Bob Dorado, the Marshall Mobile ID Project Lead, said students are really taking to the new program.
“Students see another student opening the door with their device and say ‘Hey how did you do that? Where do I get it?’ he said.
“Throughout the day (Tuesday) the activities increased and we’ve been really happy with the provisioning for the first day.”
The mobile IDs were officially launched during a Tuesday event at Marshall University’s Drinko Library and Information Center in Huntington.
Getting around campus is now even easier! Add your Marshall ID to Apple Wallet to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to enter buildings, purchase meals and more.
Marshall is one of the first schools to offer this technology. Learn more at https://t.co/OWd2Doaehd. #MarshallUFamily pic.twitter.com/PAMpaKH2Or— Marshall University (@marshallu) April 23, 2019
The new technology can be used at dozens of places including at residence hall entrances, campus libraries, the Marshall Rec Center, campus events, the Marshall Artist Series, sporting events and to make purchases at the Marshall Bookstore, vending machines, and dining services.
Dorado said in order to get the program launched, the university had to make sure its campus network was set and any payment point on campus had Apple Pay.
This includes working with the state treasurer’s office to set up the Bursar’s office.
“We were fortunate that everybody was able to jump in and pay at the same time,” Dorado said. “Get the readers that were needed and get their respective payment processors online with Apple Pay.
“We were able to get through the checklist and meet all of Apple’s criteria to get this thing launched.”
According to a release, Marshall is the first school in West Virginia and one of the first 10 schools in the US to offer this technology.
Other schools with this in place include Duke, Alabama, and Oklahoma.
Apple liked Marshall’s enthusiasm for the program and its campus network already set up so the school was included in Apple’s “second wave,” according to Dorado.
Dorado said next year’s class coming in for orientation this summer will have a choice between the mobile ID and plastic ID.
“If no problems crop up and people are happy with it,” he said. “Our new class coming in with orientation this summer, they will have a choice they can use the mobile ID provided they have a device that is acceptable or they can have the plastic ID card if they want to. We won’t issue both.”
To learn more about the Mobile ID click HERE.
MetroNews Reporter Shauna Johnson contributed to this story