With all the pamphlets, advertisements and sheets of information you receive upon your entry to UW-Whitewater, there is one card you’d do best to not toss away with the others.

Although it just looks like your typical identification card, your HawkCard serves many purposes that are crucial to your success and well-being at UW-Whitewater.

On the front of your HawkCard are four bits of information: your name, picture, identification number and status with the university. The card also has a barcode on the front and a magnetic strip along the back, allowing you to get into your dorm building.

Your HawkCard works as a type of pre-paid, debit account. With the account, you are able to place money on your card, like a credit card, and then use your HawkCard to purchase items at participating locations both on and off campus. The account is referred to as “purple points.”

To open your purple points account, go to the HawkCard Office in room 250 at the University Center. To add money onto your account throughout the semester, you can use cash, a check or a credit card at the HawkCard Office, or make a deposit online at https://services.jsatech.com/index.php?cid=142.

Have money to spare at the end of the semester? No problem! Purple points roll over to the following semester as long as you are enrolled at UW-Whitewater. The minimum deposit on a purple point account is $25. It is recommended to make a deposit of about $350 each semester.

It is best to keep your HawkCard in a protective holder, such as a wallet, purse or wristlet, so it does not suffer water damage or become worn. If your HawkCard is lost, stolen or damaged in any way, you can purchase a replacement at the HawkCard Office. The replacement for the card is $25 and takes about two minutes to be processed, printed and ready to go.

Because your HawkCard serves so many different functions, be sure to have it with you at all times, especially when you leave your dorm.

Places you can use your HawkCard on campus

• Andersen Library
• Drumlin Hall, Esker Hall, Prairie Street, UC Restaurants
• Perkins Stadium
• Textbook Rental
• University Center
• UC Info Services
• Wells Hall
• Williams Center
• Basement of dorm halls (laundry)
• Vending machines on campus
• Center of the Arts (ticket purchase)

Places you can use your HawkCard off campus

• Cozumel Mexican Restaurant
• Culver’s
• Jimmy John’s
• McDonald’s
• Pizza Hut
• Rocky Rococo’s
• Rosa’s Pizza
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Topper’s Pizza
• Daniel’s Sentry
• Cost Cutters Family Hair Care