Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff can now add their Commodore Card to Apple Wallet and use their iPhone and Apple Watch to access buildings on campus, purchase meals and more.
“This initiative has been of interest to both the student body and university administrators, as it supports both accessibility and convenience for our campus community,” Vice Chancellor for Administration Eric Kopstain said. “We are also excited about this new option because it provides an added health and safety benefit for students. The contactless payment option will allow students to not touch surfaces or other individuals, thus helping to prevent exposure to COVID-19 and other viruses when making purchases.”
Vanderbilt Student Government played a key role in advocating for and supporting this initiative over the last two years. Student body president Veer Shah and student body vice president Shun Ahmed shared it as a goal in their campaign platform this past academic year.
“During my past term as vice president, I worked closely with VSG Student Services Chair Ameer Haider and the Card Services Office to push this important initiative. We believe that digitizing the Commodore Card is a significant step toward increasing accessibility, equity and sustainability on Vanderbilt’s campus. Additionally, the implementation of this project during the global COVID-19 pandemic is vital, as this service will minimize surface contact and help to ensure safety and well-being in the Vanderbilt community,” Shah said.
Students can enter their residence halls and campus libraries, buy food at campus dining locations, and make purchases at Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt, the campus post office, the Student Health Center and the Sarratt Student Center Box Office without needing their physical Commodore Card. Students also can use this option to purchase food at nearby off-campus locations that are part of the Taste of Nashville program.
This option also provides an extra level of security, as students no longer have to worry about misplacing their physical card. Students’ school credentials also are protected by two-factor authentication through the app.
The Commodore Card in Apple Student ID works with iPhone 6 and later and Apple Watch Series 1 and later. For assistance setting up Apple Student ID, contact Vanderbilt Card Services.
To ensure an equitable opportunity for all Vanderbilt students to access this feature, the university is working to launch a similar offering through Android devices. More information about its launch will be shared soon.