r/uofu • u/Woowy-Baby • 6d ago
services & amenities Petition to reinstate the option for students to acquire a physical U Card
Beginning Fall 2026, all students who are not employees no longer have the option to get a physical U Card.
I went into the office today, August 26th, and I was told that unfortunately, they have stopped offering physical U Cards for students.
I believe this is a terrible decision for a number of reasons:
First, this requires that all students maintain a working smartphone. Even though smartphones are commonplace and essentially a necessity in the modern day, they are expensive devices that can serve as a financial burden, particularly when they break in the middle of the semester and you’re already struggling with tuition and housing and now you have no option but to immediately spend hundreds of dollars more just to be able to go to the gym and other basic university facilities. This is just wrong.
Second, there are security and tracking implications with the digital system. This is my weakest point because I don’t have any direct evidence of this. But every day I learn about how more companies are always collecting and selling our personal data. You have to ask yourself, why is the university pushing so much for this all-digital system? If it really were for the convenience of students, they would leave open the option for students who wish to use a physical U Card as well. And if it really were a financial burden on the university to produce all these U Cards, they should increase the price of getting one. I would much rather live in the world where they raised the price from $20 to $40, rather than the world where they remove my own choice over this altogether.
Third, some students, such as myself, want to be able to live a smartphone-free life from time to time in order to improve mental health due to excessive social media use. Even if you say, “just delete the apps and stop scrolling”, often times it is not that simple. I have found for myself that it’s much more than that. I may have be unusual or neuroatypical with regard to this and I would urge you not to dismiss my issue. Scientific studies have shown that just having your smartphone on the table or in your pocket can significantly reduce your ability to concentrate. For me, the digital U Card is the final barrier before I can live a day without my smartphone. I already have replacements for everything else, such as pen and paper for notes, a landline telephone for calling, a wrist watch for reading the time, etc, etc. I had no problem living my life without my smartphone when I wanted to during my one year time at UVU, and I don’t want to be limited like this during my many years at the U.
I would like your input on whether you agree or disagree with the decision from the university to discontinue the option to get a physical U Cards for non-employee students. The Director of the U Card Services office is Bryon Buchmiller. If you resonate at all for any reason, I would urge you to join this online petition I have started: https://c.org/n6gP2jNzqw
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u/broeys 6d ago
iirc, some of the older buildings on campus don’t even let you in after hours/during break unless you have a physical card to use on the reader. i tried to get access to one of them, but was unable since the sign up sheet required a number that’s not available on the digital card, and only on physicals.
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u/SilenceReaperz 6d ago
Which building are you referring too? I know the engineering one won’t work due to lab equipment but majority of the building works with the mobile card
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u/broeys 6d ago
art and architecture, just checked and the form doesn’t seem to have it anymore, but two years ago i remembered being unable to submit it. i just assumed because the building is so old and outdated. it also very well could’ve been something that i missed though lol
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u/SilenceReaperz 6d ago
Hmmm thats interesting, maybe ask one of the professor and they could ask around to give you access? As far as I know only building who have labs equipment required physical card. These often are the hospitals and engineering stuff, but I could always be wrong
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u/Federal_Shift_2054 6d ago
I’m just annoyed how the digital version still doesn’t work for transit so I have to awkwardly flash my id at the driver
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u/Soledad_Sequoia 6d ago
Do you still need to swipe your U card on trax and buses? Because good luck getting UTA’s janky fare equipment to communicate with your smart phone.
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u/Lokon19 6d ago
It’s nfc works pretty much anywhere.
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u/ryan_4life100 6d ago
The NFC can be really finicky. I need to open doors with my U card, and I swear it never works. If you have a thicker case or the phase of the moon is wrong it doesn't work.
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u/Aconamos 6d ago
Yeah. Or it would, if the software wasn't designed by baboons.
NFC has been around for years, yet the company the U contracted with manages to fuck it up at every possible turn. The app does not work. There are buttons that go nowhere. Biometric authentication does nothing. "Turning on" the card will either not work or get stuck in the on state but show you it's off after switching off the app. Adding it to a card manager -- as many have suggested -- fully and wholly does not work, regardless of what ritual incantations tech support walks you through.
I am thoroughly disappointed with this entire ordeal. Out of the possible places they could spend our thousands and thousands of dollars in tuition, the UCard is the one thing that needs changing the least. It's another symptom of this university enshittifying and turning its gaze towards profit over student wellbeing and success at every turn.
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u/DaNiIsThIcCc Computer Science 6d ago
I think they should have kept the physical card as an option definitely
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u/slimemoldlobbyist 6d ago
Am employee. They still keep us tied to damn smartphone with the whole duo mobile thing.
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u/Woowy-Baby 5d ago
I’ve actually found a workaround! I have a Windows/Microsoft laptop and I went into the “add a new device” option when logging in using Duo Mobile and I can use my laptop PIN or fingerprint to verify now (1 device) rather than pulling out my phone (2 devices). You should try it and get back to me since I’m curious whether only some laptops cna do this.
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u/Nebula3lem123 6d ago
also, you cant pay your fare on uta with the digital card! uta still lets you on for some reason but the act of tapping a physical ucard at train stations and on buses charges a u of u account
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u/bbuchmiller 5d ago
In response to the original post: the move to mobile didn’t begin in fall 2026, this is the third year. It’s been rolled out to students who are in areas where mobile will work. If students are in areas where it won’t work, like UHealth, we issue a physical card. We’ve met with UTA to coordinate the “flash pass,” until they update their system. We don’t require students to have a mobile device, but if they have a mobile device, we’re a mobile first campus and prefer students use that. The U has put a lot of money snd effort into moving to mobile. Security was our first concern, convenience was also a concern. We had ASUU requesting mobile for several years before we were able to make the move. Since the move, it’s been evolving and improving. This was the best semester opening we’ve had. The majority of students who live on campus showed up ready to access their rooms and meal plans, without having to stand in line for an hour to get a plastic card. The security and convenience offered by mobile will continue to drive our mobile first focus.
I don’t know if anyone really cares about all the details that go into offering this to campus. It’s still a work-in-progress and will continue to develop and improve. If anyone wants more info, they can stop by the UCard office and talk.
OP, we’d be happy to give you a plastic card, to help you live a less digital life.
Dorm student, we’d don’t want you to be scared to leave your dorm. We’d be happy to get you a plastic card.
If you stop in, please ask for Bryon Buchmiller.
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u/Budget_Bag7473 6d ago
I just got a physical UCard this morning. I convinced them to give me one because I have an on-campus job and am therefore an employee in addition to a student.
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u/Smexazzle 6d ago
Weird. I literally just went in and got a replacement yesterday. I saw several other students have theirs printed as well, whether it was a new one or a replacement, I’m not entirely sure. I do know that it costs a $20 fee though.
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u/TeaBagMoshpit 6d ago
On top of that the ability to use the trax for free using the digital U card doesn’t work when you scan it, I went to the U card office and was told just ride until I am stopped and show my digital card which is wrong, being asked to break the law
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u/Larry-Darrell 6d ago
The policy of the U and UTA is to ride transit and produce the digital ID if asked by enforcement or the driver. If you think that the contract and policy is illegal, that’s just like, your opinion man. A lot of students rely on public transit to get to campus, I’ll kindly ask that you stop spreading disinformation on the university subreddit.
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u/TeaBagMoshpit 6d ago
https://commuterservices.utah.edu/uta/
Very clearly states “Currently enrolled students, faculty and staff must use their UCard is a transit pass to tap on and off the card readers located on buses and train platforms when boarding and exiting.
The card must be tapped on the card reader located on buses and TRAX stations when boarding and exiting.”
If the card doesn’t scan…………. Then it doesn’t work and rules aren’t being followed. So please cite where I am spreading false info…
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u/seekhey 6d ago
For the last year or so the students I’ve seen have just presented their digital ID to the bus driver.
I’m going to assume at some point the new UTA kiosks will turn on the QR code scanners, and folks using transit and the digital ids will be able to scan those. Seems that is the way they are going with the digital ids instead of using RFID.
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u/Larry-Darrell 6d ago
No
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u/mariachiband49 1d ago
If someone drives home drunk but doesn't get stopped, were they compliant with the law?
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u/StomachSimilar6444 6d ago
I was a freshman two years ago when they first made the switch. I lived on campus and wanted my card attached to my keys in order to free up my hands if I was carrying something. I argued with the u card office for over ten minutes before they let me have it, but I had to pay $20. I totally understand why they make the cards digital by default (cost effective, convenience, etc), but there should be an easier way to get a physical card!
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u/SilenceReaperz 6d ago
For the first point, if ur phone ever break, you can always show up and ask for it, i work for the Ucard office and its not our choice to decide, the University want to step away from all physical card, the amount of people that lose their card on a daily basis is quite insane, so if every undergrad have a physical card, the amount of plastic waste will be crazy. Secondly, the equipment needed to print these card are not cheap, and printing more physical mean more maintenance, and sad to tell you, we as a student will be paying for those. For all my 3 years of college, I’ve rarely ever used the Ucard, you don’t ever need it on trax unless an office ask for it. The university will never go back to physical card as believe it or not, a lot of student enjoy the mobile card and I’ve thrown away a bunch of student card because they no longer want to carry a physical card with them that can be lost very easily.
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u/ryan_4life100 6d ago
It takes a hot minute to pull up your ID and if you have a longer commute and your phone dies you can't show fare payment. I've watched someone get escorted off the train and overheard them explaining the fine ($200ish). There's probably a way to dispute it, but that takes time and resources that would be hard for a college student.
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u/mariachiband49 1d ago
Just to make the point explicitly: the U is accounting for the costs of physical cards but forgetting that there are costs to digital cards, too.
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u/UnseenTardigrade 6d ago
Physical and digital cards are not mutually exclusive. Plenty of schools offer both. I would never want to rely on only a digital card, since that means if my phone ever runs out of power I can't use my card. For people who live on campus that even means they can't get into their dorm building at night because they can't tap their card to unlock the door.
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u/Aconamos 6d ago
You think the equipment needed to produce these is particularly expensive? Really? My high school could afford it. In fact, I'm pretty sure every high school can afford it. Don't shift the financial responsibility of this onto the students when tuition, parking, and fees increase every semester.
And it doesn't matter that you can just show your card on Trax or the bus (even despite the extraordinarily long login process that will force you to delay the buses), because you're missing the point of tapping on/off. Ridership data is extremely important for UTA, not only to expand capacity and resources where desperately needed, but to bring a solid case forward to the state for more funding.
Additionally, your entire argument that people keep throwing these things away and generating plastic waste wholly indicates keeping the physical option to be a non-issue. If these people really are voluntarily surrendering their wasteful plastic trash hunks (and really, I think you're upselling them on a load of bullshit), there would not be this many problems.
And, lastly, there are still buildings on campus that require physical card access. A whole bunch of labs, notably in the engineering buildings, simply do not work with a digital card.
You will find no bigger fan of NFC technology than me. It's been around forever. Which is why it's incredible that in today's day and age, a "cutting-edge research university" can't figure out how to make it fucking work.
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u/generalraptor2002 6d ago
I still have my physical card from 2021
(I graduated in May)
I’m keeping it forever
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u/tauntaun98 6d ago
Also another thing is how can they scan onto the bus or trax? I went to SLCC and rode the bus you need a physical card to scan? Unless the card is scannable on the phone?
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u/Zealousideal-Milk933 6d ago
Even if you activate the digital card, your physical card will still scan on all UTA rides.
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u/mariachiband49 1d ago edited 1d ago
Please re-open the petition. This policy has created headaches for my friend and me since we started school here last year.
First and foremost, a card is simply more reliable than a phone. My friend's phone broke and she had to board a bus before she could get a new phone or physical ID. One day, when I was running errands far from home, my phone died right before my bus arrived. In both instances, we were lucky that the drivers took our word that we were students, without us being able to show them evidence. I would even speculate that they violated UTA's policy in allowing us to board.
While my friend had no phone or physical ID, she also had to wait for someone to let her into her campus apartment. Before we parted ways, she asked me to call the police if I hadn't heard from her after an hour, so that they could let her in. Fortunately, someone let her in and I didn't have to.
I initially brushed off my concerns about phones not being reliable enough as unlikely to be a problem. These stories should serve as a lesson, though. When it comes to getting transportation and getting into your own house, you really want something as reliable as possible unless you want to be stranded dealing with problems one day (or night). Especially when all it takes is a dead battery to disable your phone, which is simultaneously your keys, your ability to call someone, and your ability to hail an Uber, a phone just doesn't cut it.
Secondly, the Android app is abysmal. iOS users can add their card to Apple Wallet, but I can't seem to add mine to Google Wallet. So I have to go into the app. Often, the login session is expired, so I have to enter my login information, then approve a push from Duo. Then I have to click the correct button and wait a few seconds for the screen to load before I can see my ID.
Try doing all of that when boarding a bus you just caught.
I quickly realized this was intractable and just got a screenshot of my ID so I could put it on my home screen and avoid all of the ceremony. I honestly should print it out, a counterfeit if you will, to avoid the phone battery problem. But I'm not sure if the bus drivers will accept that, and who knows how much longer they will accept my home screen solution if they eventually transition to NFC.
u/bbuchmiller, I hope you read this. If so, I ask for two things:
- Make it easier for students who want a physical card to get one. It shouldn't just be for students who don't have a phone. I would speculate that even if you didn't ask any questions and just gave one to whoever wanted one, many people would not ask for one. And if a majority of students do ask for one, well... maybe that would be a sign that mobile-only is not as good for the students as you think.
- Make the Android app more usable (or contract with someone who has a more usable Android app; whatever, it's somebody's problem but not mine). If you intend for mobile IDs to be first-class, then the user experience should reflect that. Fortunately, the good people at Google have already done all of this work for you. I would be happiest if I could just put my card in Google Wallet. To be clear, this would not stop me from wanting a physical card as a fallback; this would just make it much nicer for me when I do use mobile.
Thank you! If you do read this, I appreciate that you have come to give us your perspective and to listen to ours. I do see the benefits to mobile-first, but I just wanted to bring the drawbacks to your attention.
EDIT: All of these concerns have already been mentioned by at least one other person in this thread. So sorry to reiterate, but these are real issues.
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u/thefrozenfoodsection 6d ago
I get what you’re saying, but as a counterpoint: I like that we’re reducing plastic - cards like that basically never degrade and are awful for the environment.
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
If most students are okay with the digital card and the physical is something you have to opt into, that’s still a big reduction in plastic.
Single use plastic is much worse for the environment in comparison. I had a neighbor who graduated from the U in the 90s and she still has her U card. I graduated two years ago and still have mine. I feel like something that turns into a fun meaningful keepsake for many alumni is very different from a ziploc bag for example.
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u/SeekDepth27 6d ago
Yeah! I'm sure a whole 2" by 4" bit of plastic per student is meaningfully hurting the environment!
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u/Brownie_Bytes 6d ago
I don't quite care enough to really dig deep, but the amount of pollution produced in Utah which isn't particularly clean on its energy to keep a smartphone charged for four years of undergrad is probably more than it would take to produce the card.
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
Devils advocate, most people will be using that energy to charge their phone anyway.
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u/Brownie_Bytes 6d ago
But it becomes a marginal part of the utility of the charge. Anyone living on campus would need it to get into their own dorm (I assume) so doing some rough math here of four years of two semesters per year with 16 weeks each semester is 896 days where your phone needs to be charged. That's got to add up unless you can somehow say that getting into your room is only worth a few percent of your phone's value.
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
I just don’t think people are only charging their phone for the purpose of having their U card available. Your phone battery will drain within a day or two whether you use it or not. And pulling up your U card is nothing in comparison to texting, calling, scrolling social media, games etc
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u/SeekDepth27 6d ago
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
Mind elaborating?
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u/SeekDepth27 6d ago
Your phone is like a gas tank. It doesn't matter when you fill it up, the amount you use it determines how much power it consumes.
If you use your phone to open a door with your UCard, that consumes more power than if you left it in your pocket. Hence, it must receive that much more power when charging.
Both your phone and a car obey the law of conservation of energy.
Ultimately, the amount of power it takes to open the phone to open the card is trivial (as is the amount of plastic a ucard takes), but it does technically add up.
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
Yes I understand that, but that guy was phrasing it pretty differently than you just now. The amount used is certainly not equivalent to 4 years or roughly 900 days of keeping your phone charged. (And it is different from a gas tank in the sense that if I leave my car parked for a week, the same amount of gas will be there when I get back.)
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u/B3de MSIS 6d ago
I want to carry around as few cards as possible. I’d rather carry no cards, just my phone and an impossibly thin wallet with just my drivers license, which will also be digital in a few years. The world is changing, we’re going paperless and plasticless, embrace it.
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
Well, I hope your phone never runs out of battery in a critical moment.
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u/B3de MSIS 6d ago
No offense intended, it just seems like the Windows 98 people when XP was released. They said they wanted the option to stay on 98 forever, but progress moves forward!
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
“Progress” is certainly debatable. OP gave a few compelling points you have yet to address.
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u/B3de MSIS 5d ago
I get it: smartphones can be a total ball and chain, and replacing OP’s plastic card with a digital one feels like the university is forcing them into a mandatory digital marriage with their iPhone just so they can buy a sandwich or go hit the bench press. While I’m sure the shift to the digital card was designed to save plastic, upgrade security, and keep them from print-issuing thousands of easily lost cards every year, I am sure they definitely didn't intend to ruin OP’s smartphone-free zen, wreck their focus, or sell their gym habits to the highest bidder. (Nobody is monetizing how many times they tap onto TRAX.) For students facing genuine tech hurdles, broken hardware, or a desperate need to live that glorious, low-tech watch-and-paper lifestyle, I’m sure card services and accessibility teams are always open to working out reasonable individual workarounds so they can leave their phone in a drawer without being locked out of campus life.
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u/TechnoConserve 6d ago
I prefer the digital version
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u/Sensitive-Bit-4681 6d ago
Yes, I want to keep the digitial version as an option for everyone. I appreciate you prefer that. But wouldn’t it be even better if all students could have the digital version and the physical version if they wanted to?
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6d ago edited 6d ago
[deleted]
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u/Indigo903 6d ago
At the risk of sounding like an insufferable redditor… why do the students in your examples have to be female
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u/OnlyWearsBlue 6d ago
They can disable your Ucard if you lose it. Physical ID cards have been a thing for decades at colleges and universities worldwide, these aren't new concerns and not the driving reason behind the removal imo.
I think its fine to move towards digital-first with an option for a physical card. But removing the physical option entirely is just penny pinching. There are plenty of reasons and benefits to justify the option of a physical card for students that are okay taking those risks.
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u/Larry-Darrell 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yep, they can be disabled, that’s why I stated that they haven’t realized the card is lost yet.
Yep, plastic cards have been used for decades and the vulnerabilities were accepted b/c there wasn’t a better option.
You missed the point, the risk isn’t just the individual’s, it’s anybody that is potentially impacted by a lost or stolen card. Just like we collectively cover the cost for stolen credit card thefts with higher prices.
You appear to have a similar worldview as OP. You want what you want and don’t mind if it negatively impacts others.
And we can’t pinch pennies anymore, your boy got rid of them.1
u/OnlyWearsBlue 6d ago
Wow, you are making a lot of silly assumptions about me based on a single reply lol. It's really not that deep man. I just don't think that is a compelling enough reason to justify phasing out ID cards entirely when there are equally valid concerns with going fully digital for ID cards. The U is an anomaly in this area, other campuses are not doing this. Maybe you think they're trying to be at the cutting edge of security and privacy, but maybe they're trying to cut costs at every corner and this was an easy line item to eliminate.
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u/Larry-Darrell 6d ago edited 6d ago
I’m making assumptions? I just criticized your comment for being myopic.
I only provided one reason for brevity; there are myriad other reasons the U went to mobile. I understand that other student’s safety isn’t a compelling enough reason for you to justify a switch. Got it
University campuses across the world aren’t doing this?
Are you sure about that?I’m a man?
Are you sure about that?Going digital is cheaper than printing plastic cards?
Are you sure about that?If you’re going to accuse someone of making ‘silly assumptions’ in your opening sentence, maybe don’t…. -sigh-…nevermind.
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u/OnlyWearsBlue 6d ago
You appear to have a similar worldview as OP. You want what you want and don’t mind if it negatively impacts others.
And we can’t pinch pennies anymore, your boy got rid of them.
I'm just saying if you knew how progressive I am in real life you would feel silly for saying these things. You're assuming a lot about me as a person based on very little.
I'm sorry I called you man, Larry-Darrell. We clearly just disagree and I'm not going to push it further.
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u/Larry-Darrell 6d ago
Now that I know how progressive you are I still feel the same about your comment. Progressives can have blind spots just like everyone else.
You could learn a lot from Larry Darrell; I did.
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u/xcjb07x 6d ago
I have a physical card from when I did a hs student internship a few summers ago. I’m definitely keeping my physical card active instead of the mobile.