Word: wamback
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...advent of the magnetic stripe and the electronic card card-reader, the humble ID card has been transformed into the powerful and ubiquitous "Swipey Card," allowing Harvard students to access every manner of building, library, photocopier and snack food with a simple swipe. FM recently spoke with Dave Wamback, of Harvard University Identification and Data Services, who explained the complexity of symbol and significance that lurks below the surface of the Harvard...
...According to Wamback, the inclusion of students' birth dates was requested by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as a convenience to undergraduates for the purpose of "backup to other proof of age where drinking on campus is concerned." The date was printed on the card until 1995 when the date began being embossed along with the rest of the digits on the card. Ancient, grizzled members of the Harvard community (seniors) have surmised that this transition was made in order to thwart the efforts of students attempting to transform their cards into fake IDs by altering their birth date...
...According to Wamback, "There is a Federal regulation instituted in 1986 by the Immigration and Naturalization Services which requires anyone who works for pay in the U.S. to submit various forms of identification and indicate citizenship. I-9 signifies that a student has filed an I-9 form with the Payroll Office or with a previous Harvard employer. It exists on the card for the convenience of the student...
...numbers and letters on the card have been raised since the early 70s. They allow smaller libraries and University Health Services to take impressions of cards rather than copy down information. The reason the ink doesn't stay on your name for long is, according to Wamback, that "to protect the image and other graphics on the card, a very thin film of overlay is put on the card when it is generated. The chemical composition of this overlay is very different from the base card, and to date, the manufacturer has not come up with a topping that will...
...Ever wonder why most ID numbers start with similar digits (504, 304, 604, etc.)? Ever think there might be a conspiracy to rank students according to social status (104=in FM nearly every week, 304=cool, 604=not antisocial, 904=Science Fiction Association)? Wamback assures us that "There are no personal, social or academic attributes hidden in the number. This is simply a numbering convention based on a custom generation algorithm. Numbers are assigned at random based on the next available number whether the individual is a student or an employee. The first numbers issued back in 1974 began with...