The keycard system serves many functions for the typical Harvard student.

Crimson Cash and BoardPlus, which are both run by Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS), allow Harvard ID holders to encode financial information onto their cards.

Crimson Cash can be used at select locations on or off-campus to purchase books, food, photocopies and snacks, while BoardPlus credits students' cards with $50 each semester for food and snacks.

Students say these keycard features have contributed to the quality of College life.

"I find [Crimson Cash] very useful," Patricia S. Cho '99 says.

Thomas M. Coyne '02 adds, "It's easier than using coins for laundry and sodas."

In addition, student groups such as The Crimson or Harvard Student Agencies take advantage of the ID card system by allowing only staff members whose keycard numbers have been encoded into the buildings' security systems to enter their respective buildings. (Both organizations are independent of the University.)

Lichten says new uses for the keycard system continue to surface. For example, he points to the "proximity readers" located outside certain buildings, which were erected to help disabled people gain easier access into University buildings.

"People just need to get the card close to the special reader, and that will unlock the door," Lichten says. "Someone in a wheelchair or who has a disability with their hands won't have to get the card out and swipe it."

How It All Works

When you swipe your ID card anywhere on campus, the reader extracts your ID number from the magnetic strip on the back and sends it to a server to determine authentication.

"Crimson Cash and door privileges do not sit on the cards themselves," says Jeffrey B. Cuppett, HUDS manager of card application technologies. "Every time you go to the Coop or Loker to make a transaction there, it queries our server, and it tells our server whether to let you in [to the sys tem]," he says.

According to Cuppett, Harvard University Identification and Data Services (HUID) maintains student information and updates the HUDS and House access servers on a regular basis.

These servers control access to their particular systems via a computer network.

Cuppett says the ID network and equipment are provided by AT&T-Campus Wide Access Solutions.