It is stressful enough worrying about classes, assignments and homework while in school. In addition, college is even harder, with even more elements at play– we need to keep our devices charged, watch the weather outside, know the bus schedule and track the amount of time it takes to get to each class, so we are not late or too early. So, losing our DragonCards in the hustle and bustle is not built into our busy schedule.
Imagine being late to a class and then realizing you cannot find your DragonCard. Now, not only are you guaranteed to be late, but you also have to stand awkwardly outside the building until someone lets you in. Then, when you get back to your apartment, you realize it is after 5 p.m. on a Friday. The only way to get a replacement card is to go to the DragonCard office when they are open and pay an additional $20. Without your DragonCard, you no longer have access to the Dragon Dollars that you have added to your account nor any of the Drexel buildings. While the office is open on weekends, it is only for four hours, so you need to make time to go there if you want access to the library, recreational center or any of the other Drexel buildings. Also, Drexel asks that if you do lose a DragonCard, you disable it from your account. So, if you end up finding your DragonCard in the future, you have to contact them again to get it re-enabled. Not to mention, you may not get the $20 you paid for the new one.
While losing a DragonCard seems to be an extreme inconvenience, DragonCards in general seem to be the problem. To have access to any Drexel resource, a DragonCard is necessary, which means that every Drexel student and faculty member wanting to come to work or school needs to remember to bring their card everywhere they go and every time they leave. In addition, DragonCards expire; while this is a safety measure to ensure that all the Drexel buildings are secure, this creates an additional disruption of the Drexel community as they have to take time to visit the office to get a new card. Even if people do everything correctly (keep their DragonCard safe), they still have to visit the office to get a new one, adding an extra disturbance to Drexel life.
However, there is an easy solution to the physical copy of DragonCards, and that is to use the DrexelOne app. The app already displays student ID, along with all the information that is on a DragonCard. The only aspect that the online version of the card is missing is the barcode that allows access to the Drexel facilities. Moreover, this solution is more convenient as most students and faculty bring their phones to work and classes daily. If DragonCards spread to online access, they could be renewed through the Drexel software rather than each student individually reaching out to the office. The online access would also decrease the amount of money students and faculty would be spending if they lost their card and decrease the amount of time students are spending on dealing with the additional issues from the physical DragonCard.