CUID

The CUID or Columbia University ID is the official ID card for Columbia students and faculty.

Priveleges

What it's good for

• Swiping into restricted access Columbia Buildings (Dorms, Dodge, Libraries, etc.
• Swiping into John Jay Dining Hall
• Swiping into Hewitt Dining Hall
• Paying with Flex or Dining Dollars at Dining Services locations, the Bookstore, and many Vending Machines
• Getting into most of the major New York City museums for free via Passport to New York
• Getting into Bobst Library at at NYU
• Getting into all Columbia athletics events for free

What it's not good for

• Getting into Barnard dormitories (unless you live in one, like Plimpton)
• Getting into academic buildings at night unless you have special access (except SIPA, which any student can swipe into)
• Getting you laid.

Programs

Meal Plan

Columbia First Year students are required to enroll in the meal plan, which consists of 'meals' at John Jay (exchangeable with Hewitt- nothing required. just go there to eat instead.), and Dining Dollars for spending at all other Dining Services locations. At Columbia, the Kosher Meal plan is a seperate option. The Halal Meal Plan simply requires registering getting a sticker on your CUID in 118 Hartley.

Most upperclassmen do not sign up for meals at John Jay, since it's significantly cheaper to eat out or even better, cook.

Conventional wisdom is "Most Points, Fewest Meals" because you can only eat 2 meals at John Jay a day, (Brunch and Dinner) and often you're going to want to eat from another location, often Ferris Booth or 212.

Dining Dollars

Dining Dollars are the 'points' you use to make purchases at all Dining Services locations other than John Jay (which I think accepts points- it just costs around 13 bucks, why would you do that?). For first year students, they are part of your meal plan, while upperclassmen can purchase them separately. Upperclassmen, and first years who run out of points, can add more points to their account at any time through SSOL. Dining Dollars do not expire, they roll over to the next semester until you graduate. Then they expire.

Dining Services offers discounts to upperclassmen who purchases points and meals in bulk over the summer in advance of the year. A student once calculated that it's possible to buy enough points so that with discount, if you use those points just to eat at John Jay Dining Hall, it would be cheaper than to purchase the equivalent number of meals. And even then you'd have the flexibility of eating elsewhere.

An advantage of using Dining Dollars to make purchases instead of Flex is that there is no taxes on your dining dollars purchases.

First Year Points

Technically speaking, first years 'First Year Points' with their meal plan. The major difference between First Year Points and Dining Dollars is that the FYP allotted with the meal plan you overpaid for do not roll over. For example, if you get the 500 point plan, you get 500 points for the Fall, and an additional 500 points for the spring. If you don't spend them all by the end of the Spring semester, they disappear forever. Consider just buying tons of water bottles and non-perishable groceries from JJ's Place in the Spring to make sure you get your money's worth somewhat. Throw a giant chips and soda party. Ship the stuff home. Whatever. If you have too many points at the end of the Semester, Iris (the JJ's Place cashier) will berate you.

"Every month, I get $100 of dining dollars. When it comes up on the bill, my parents think it's some kind of standard charge."

FlexAccount

Flex is dollar for dollar money on your CUID that you can use to make purchases at all dining locations, as well as at Vending Machines, the Bookstore, and pay to use the Laundry machines in your dorm. Flex money gets taxed at dining locations, but is fantastic for purchasing your books. Just put a bunch of money on your account through SSOL, buy your books, and the charge will show up on your Columbia Bill (which, most likely, your parents will pay.) It's an alternative to cash or Credit Cards if you don't have one.

FlexLife

At least since 1996, a year after Yale introduced a similar program for its students, Columbia students have been pushing for the ability to use Flex dollars at local businesses, especially restaurants. In 2003, Student Affairs even included a FlexLife poll in the Enrolled Students Survey, with a question asking which locations students most desired to have flex at. Wayne Ting (C '06) made FlexLife a central part of his 2004 CCSC election platform, despite the fact that he was aware that FlexLife would not be coming to campus for years.

This program has not been implemented largely because the CUID system uses the owner's Social Security number in its barcode and magnetic strip, a fact that was announced in the fall of 2004. This could allow malicious hackers to exploit any weaknesses in the system to harvest SSNs. As of 2004, Columbia was the only Ivy League University still using SSNs with it's ID cards.

While security is the primary concern, others observers have suggested that the University had been reluctant to consider the program in the past as it would simply undercut sales by on-campus operators such as Dining Services.

With the ID replacement project underway, a FlexLife program may be possible as early as 2008.

Passport to New York

• See main Passport to New York article.

Passport is a program sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Columbia Arts Initiative, and Student Services, that allows all Columbia graduate and undergraduate students free access to 28 different New York City museums and institutions.

Secure Identity and Access Control Project

In 2004 the University created a task force to explore an overhaul of the CUID system in order to protect private information of student, such as their Social Seurity numbers which are currently the primary ID numbers embedded in the system, and allow the flexibility to use the system for off-campus purchasing. The University had been aware of the security problem since 2003. With approval from the Trustees, the overhaul plan was announced in October of 2005 with a timeline calling for implementation by New Year's 2008. In addition, the cards will incorporate a magnetic wire allowing the University the option of replacing certain swipe boxes around campuses to 'proximity boxes.' The Med Center is already taking steps to take advantage of this option. The Univeristy will be overhauling it's database system as well, allowing students to register guests online rather than in person. Once all 80,000 students, faculty, and staff have been issued new ID cards by the end of Fall 2007, the off-campus flex plan will be feasible, and possible as early as 2008.

According to Lisa Hogarty, executive vice president of student and administrative services, "What most universities have done is just taken the Social [Security number] off the card. Once we finish this project, Columbia will be best in class." Considering that Columbia was among the last Ivy schools to address the SSN-related security concerns, and that peer schools have had FlexLife type programs and proximity box based access systems, the statement sounds a bit like self-congratulatory back-slapping and begs the question, "Well what the hell took so long?"

External links

ID Center