As students enter another school year, they are encouraged to learn more about Eastern’s campus, including all the uses of their Panther Cards.

Susan Woodyard, a Panther Card office staff clerk, said Panther Cards do not just serve as student ID cards.

“It’s actually your life on campus. It’s your meal plan, your Dining Dollars, it’s how you do laundry on campus, door swipes, it’s how you make copies, it’s how you’ll print. Basically, it’s everything,” Woodyard said.

Panther Cards also serve as library cards.

Food service area supervisor Chris Coffey said students could use their Panther Cards at the food court in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“We have Chick-fil-A, Panther Grille and Subway. Those Dining Dollars are good for any of those things,” Coffey said.

Coffey said students can add Dining Dollars to their Panther Cards in the Office of University Housing and Dining Services in the basement of the Union.

“There’s several machines around campus where you can add money to the chip on the card, and we take that chip money here at the food court as well,” Coffey said.

Panther Cards are also used for meal swipes in the dining halls across campus and the Marketplace Convenience Store connected to Thomas Dining Hall.

In addition to purchasing meals, Woodyard said students could use their Panther Cards to make purchases at the Union Bookstore.

“If you go to the bookstore and you want to buy a T-shirt and you have chip money, when you go to the counter you just tell them that you want to use your chip,” Woodyard said.

The Panther Card Office has merged with the Help Desk in the Union to replace lost or damaged Panther Cards, provide computer services and more.

“Your first one is always free, a lost [card] is $20. A damaged one, if it’s something that they did to the card, we charge them $10. But if it just up and quits, we don’t charge them,” Woodyard said.

Woodyard said students can go to the Panther Card Office in Room 3040 of Student Services to get a new Panther Card.

Panther Cards should be treated as money, and the money on the chip is not recoverable if the card is lost or damaged.

Thaija Evans can be reached at tvevans@eiu.edu or 581-2112.