Students, faculty and staff with a University Housing and Dining meal plan can now swipe their hands at new hand scanners instead of tapping their ID cards to enter campus dining halls.<\/p>\n
The new scanners, introduced at the beginning of the semester, take an image of the person\u2019s fingerprints and turn that data into a 10-digit code, said Lenore Musick, assistant vice president for dining services at UHD. That code is then connected to the user\u2019s specific meal plan.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It\u2019s) not any different than when you tap your (ID) card at the library, the dorms,\u201d Musick said.<\/p>\n
Musick said she wanted to bring the hand scanners to UT to increase student satisfaction and to serve more students faster. At Musick\u2019s previous job, the dining halls implemented scanners, which she thought improved traffic flow. She added that, in the past, some students would forget their IDs and be unable to enter the dining hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want anybody to go hungry,\u201d Musick said. \u201cSo, this gave them an opportunity to be able to come in and eat on their own time without having to worry about where that ID was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musick said on the first day of the fall semester, UHD reported that over 19,000 students dined across the three dining halls on campus: Kins Dining, J2 and Jester City Limits. On average, UHD sees about 12,000 to 15,000 students coming into the dining halls every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s (why) we needed to find a better way to get them in, so you guys can eat,\u201d Musick said.<\/p>\n
Shivani Puram, a management information systems freshman, said she signed up for the hand swipe system after seeing the turnstiles in the dining halls.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a more efficient and easier way to use the hand scanning program,\u201d Puram said. \u201cHowever, I may have an issue if (the data is) used improperly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musick said the biometric data that gets collected from handprints is erased after a set period of time and is no different than scanning your ID, noting that students should not be concerned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t store your hand image; it turns into a unique code,\u201d the UHD site about the program reads. \u201cThese points cannot be translated into fingerprints, and this information is not shared with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those with a UHD meal plan who want to use the hand scanners must opt in and sign up for the program online. Students who wish to not opt in can continue scanning in with their ID.<\/p>\n
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