Student ID continues to become more useful on campus

From buying sushi at the Stag diner to getting into a dorm building right before the 11 p.m. cut off, the Stag Card is one of the most vital of all the accessories used by a Fairfield University student.

Soon, Fairfield will add one more function to the already long list of Stag Card uses: printing papers at the library.

Starting this fall, the University plans on having students use their Stag Card whenever they print a document from the Nyselius Library, and eventually from the many computer labs on campus.

The plan is to install a “printer management system” to control the amount paper used by each student for printing documents. A card reader will be installed on all the printers in the library, which will require every student to swipe their card each time they print a document from one of the library computers. Budget permitting, the card readers will also be installed in each of the computer labs on campus by the fall.

“Currently, it’s a work in progress,” said Michael Tortora, the coordinator of Information Systems for Student Services. “Students will print their paper from the computer, swipe their card, and the paper will print.”

Students will have an as-yet undetermined set number of printouts per semester. After the student has gone over that limit, the student will be charged a “nominal” fee to their Stag Bucks credit, according to Tortora.

The Stag Card has taken on a number of different roles over the recent past, with its functions growing more and more seemingly each semester.

Three years ago, the Stag card was limited to building access and food at the cafeterias and snack bars.

Now the card is usable at vending machines, and money has been split into two categories: Dining Dollars, which is for food at the establishments on campus, and Stag Bucks, which can be used for spending in the bookstore.

In addition, Fairfield will inaugurate the vending of newspapers for the Stag Card next semester. Newspaper machines will be set up in Jogues and Loyola halls, allowing students to swipe their cards in order to receive a complementary newspaper. Some of the newspapers available in the offer include The New York Times and the Connecticut Post.