Christopher Beck, Asst. News Editor

The College of Wooster is currently looking to upgrade or possibly replace the C.O.W. card-swipe system.

The company that provides the current system is Blackboard, which provides the transaction processing systems to numerous colleges and universities. "We are going through a review process and looking at other vendors," said Vince DiScipio, Manager of Networks and Telecomunications. According to Dean Holmes, Blackboard is one of the venders who has been asked to submit a Request for Proposal, RFP, describing the details of the new system.

The current functions of the C.O.W. cards, which include the use at the bookstore, Mom’s Truck stop, academic and residential buildings, will be maintained.

There are several different features that are being considering for a new system. One possible upgrade would allow off campus vendors such as restaurants, movie theaters, Bueller’s and Papa John’s to accept payment from a C.O.W. card. There are also features available that would allow students to monitor their account online.

With this feature, students would be able to see their account balance as well as a record of their transactions. A student could report a lost or stolen card and deactivate a card. "Our goal is to expand the functionality of the system to improve campus security, save operational costs, and respond to many of the concerns raised by students regarding the current system," said Dean of Students Kurt Holmes.

There will be a decision regarding the new system relatively soon. Students should look for the new features in the system sometime next year.

These proposed changes to the C.O.W. card come in the context of a security breach of the Blackboard security system. On Thursday, April 17, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Blackboard and the lawyers representing two college students agreed to extend a restraining order to keep the students from revealing how they bypassed the Blackboard system.

Billy Hoffman, who attends The Georgia Institute of Technology, and Virgil Griffith, who attends the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa were planning to discuss the gaps in the Blackboard transitions security system at a conference.

Blackboard released a statement on April 16 which stated "The transactions themselves are secured unless the hardware systems involved are physically compromised…Any perceived reader security issues appear to arise only in the context of physical vandalism and/or physical damage to hardwire and/or communication connections." The two students did physically bypass the security system, which prompted the initial legal action by Blackboard on April 14.