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Upgrade to Affect DukeCard Services Dec. 15-23

Access to buildings, payment for food will be impacted

By Bryan Roth

As part of a tech upgrade for DukeCard, some services won’t be available in mid-December as the Office of Information Technology (OIT) upgrades to a new system.

The upgrade of the over 20-year old technology will take place between Dec. 15 and 23 and impact services from how students and employees pay for goods and services to building access, although alternative payments and processes will be made available for many services.

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The upgrade was scheduled during this time period to minimize impacts as much as possible with students away for winter break, said Laurie Harris, interim DukeCard Program Manager with OIT helping to oversee the process.

“As with all technology, we were going to reach the end-life of our old system eventually,” Harris said. “From a security perspective, this makes us safer and will allow for a lot more forward planning to keep our technology up-to-date.”

No Duke community members will need to get a new DukeCard and students and employees will still be able to access all the same campus buildings, after the upgrade. DukeCard balances such as FLEX, Food Points and Board plans, will be transferred in the process automatically.

During the upgrade, registers operated by Duke Dining and Duke Stores will provide alternatives for food point or FLEX sales, including cash and credit/debit card payment. Copiers, laundry and vending machines will accept cash. Campus recreation centers will use handheld machines to confirm access for students and employees.

Here are other services that will be impacted during the upgrade:

  • Deposits to food or FLEX accounts
  • Payroll deduction for FLEX accounts
  • University door access
  • DukeCard production  (receive or replace a card)
  • Payroll deduction for faculty charge
  • Payroll deduction for new recreation center memberships

During the upgrade, university doors will be operating in “restricted" mode as they’re upgraded. On the day a door is converted, the reader will be offline for a period of 20 to 45 minutes while the reader receives a software download. Once they are converted to the new system, doors will be fully operational. Building managers can learn a tentative schedule for their areas by contacting Debbie DeYulia at Debbie.DeYulia@duke.edu.

In addition, the University DukeCard Office on Telcom Drive and the Duke Clinic DukeCard Office will be closed from Dec. 16 to 19, as services won’t be available during the upgrade. Supervisors are encouraged to have new hires get DukeCards before Dec. 15. Departments can contact the DukeCard Office to request visitor cards to use during the ugrade, prior to Dec. 15. Please contact the DukeCard Office at (919) 684-5800 or (919) 684-2273 for assistance during this period.

For a list of frequently asked questions about the DukeCard upgrade, see this Q and A from OIT.