Copy Quick Cards to be phased out

The purple Copy Quick Card can be found in the wallets, backpacks and desk drawers of many UW students. Within a month, however, these cards will go from on-campus printing necessities to useless pieces of plastic.

Throughout the month of June, the UW libraries and computing labs will phase out the traditional copy cards and make the transition to Husky Cards for paying for printing and copying.

Katy Folk-Way, assistant director of Publications Services, said the inability to use Husky Cards for printing at the libraries is an issue that the school has received numerous complaints about.

"Students have been asking for this for years," Folk-Way said.

The change, however, will not be instantaneous. With more than 70 print stations to modify, the transition will take a number of weeks. But, after the transition is complete, the Copy Quick Card will be officially worthless.

The Libraries and Publications Services Steering Committee has been working on the development of a new payment system for two years and is finally seeing it implemented as advances in software make the change possible.

Once the transition is complete, students will use their Husky Cards just like copy cards, except that they will be able to add money to their online Husky Card accounts and the old coin-operated machines will not be available to add value to the cards. Students will also be able to add money to the cards at the Odegaard Copy Center. Outside patrons will be able to buy "Dawg Print" cards similar to the copy cards.

This change is something many students think is long overdue.

"I think it's a fabulous idea; it will cut down on unnecessary cards," said sophomore Andrew Januik. "I've probably gone through 20 copy cards this year alone."

Sophomore Khynna Beaton agreed.

"I always lose my copy card, but my Husky Card is something that I always have and always hold on to," she said.

Some, however, think the change is unnecessary.

"A lot of people have never even used their Husky Card account," junior Jerid Paige said.

"I wouldn't even know how to put money on it, and it has got to take way longer to go online and use your debit card than just put some coins into a machine, Paige said."

Reach reporter Kevin Grimes at news@thedaily.washington.edu.