At CSU East Bay, students, staff and faculty are obligated to use the Bay Card for identification purposes as well as many other activities on campus.
The card can be used as a pass for the campus shuttle: access printing in the library, as a room key, to use the washing machines in Pioneer Heights, enter events at discounted prices or for free, purchase meals through the campus dining services, markets and vending machines, get into the Recreation and Wellness Center or other gyms on campus, for health services provided in the health center, and as a Wells Fargo debit card.
It is also recognized at off-campus locations both in Hayward, like Bronco Billy’s, CVS Pharmacy and Denny’s, and in Castro Valley, including Chipotle.
On this campus, students, staff and faculty realize how dependent they are on the Bay Card and how difficult it can be to survive on campus without it.
Catalina Evans, a 19-year-old junior at CSUEB argued against utilizing the Bay Card, stating that, “I hate that everything is depended on your Bay Card. To print, to eat, to wash my clothes, especially when the machines are not working and you have to walk across campus to find the next working one.”
Like Evans, some students do not like relying on the card for all of their campus necessities.
On the other hand, students like 24-year-old international student and senior Kevin Wang, finds the Bay Card to be pretty convenient.
“I get carded on a regular basis, but right now, the only legal document I have with my birthday on it is my passport,” said Wang. “Taking my passport to clubs and bars just doesn’t feel safe.
“Since there’s still enough space on the Bay Card, why can’t they print our birthday on it?” suggested Wang.
There are many risks if one lost their Bay Card. Reactivation is mandatory when replacing a stolen or lost card.
To re-register your card, one must go to housing services located in Lassen Hall or in the Dining Commons behind the freshmen dormitories on campus.
Cashier and busser for CSUEB’s Aramark Services Gloria Coronado, 64, has been working at the campus Dining Commons for almost three years now, dealing with students who either need their card reactivated or want to switch their meal plan.
“We still have cards that are not registered and it is the beginning of a new year!” Coronado announced while carding students as they arrive for lunch in the dining hall and commanding others to place their belongings in the across cubbies.
“Students have lost cards in the Dining Commons, but have come to retrieve them,” she concluded.
CSUEB has recently allowed users with Visa credit cards to transfer money over onto their Bay Card account and has also added a new fill station in the lobby of the new Student Services & Administrations Building.
The Bay Card is still seen as a major necessity today at CSUEB and continues to be improved.
