(Photo courtesy of: UMass Lowell) “All students are required to have an ID but it’s now on students to replace them.”
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
Recently a large amount of students have received an email from UCAPS saying they have to replace their student IDs. They claim this is because some students have access to areas that they should not, such as highly restricted labs. I have a few issues with this, the first being: why would you tell students this? Now that they know these places exist, they’re going to be inclined to get into them. My second issue with this is the pressure on students to replace their IDs, with no extended hours of the UCAPS office.
This is undeniably an issue inside of UCAPS. If they are able to grant additional access to certain buildings, such as when students move dorms, why are they unable to just deactivate these restricted areas? Why do I now have to find the time to go to UCrossing and deal with the process of getting a new UCard? A different fix could be reprinting the affected IDs and mailing them to students. The consequences for not replacing the cards in time will be total loss of access to campus buildings, which proves my point that UCAPS can just revoke access to certain places.
My other issue with UCAPS lies with changing my name on my UCard. Around two years ago I changed my name through the school, did all the paperwork and even got a new UCard. So, how come everytime I scan my card to buy something, the name I was told that was off my account pop up? What exactly is the point of a campus name if my old name is still being written on my Starbucks cup and scrawled on my packages at the mailroom? I have written about my experiences being deadnamed before but honestly, what was the point of getting a new ID if the new name does not really seem to have an effect?
Getting to the UCAPS office is not that accessible either. Students can either walk, take the shuttle or attempt to drive which aren’t always feasible options for disabled students. The shuttles are known to be unreliable transport, it’s freezing out and we all know UCrossing does
not have free parking for students, so even getting to the building to replace the ID is difficult enough. The school really seems to be putting pressure on students to fix an issue that seems to be caused within itself.
Overall, I am frustrated with the school and its ID system. This little piece of plastic controls whether I can sleep in my dorm or not, if I can park my car, or if I can grab a meal in the dining hall. With classes in session, I now have to find the time to replace it or lose all that? I pay for all of this, and I pay extra to park my car on campus, but UCAPS can’t be open past 5 pm for students to replace their cards. It is already frustrating having to replace our cards due to something that is not our fault, but then to have to squeeze it into their hours, when most students are in class or working is absurd.
