One Card Gets You in the Buff

As I walked into the mailroom to pick up my first package, the smiling woman behind the counter asked me for my ID. Unfortunately, I realized that I had left my wallet back in my room and the only things I was carrying were my keys and my Buff OneCard (CU’s student card). For fear of suffering the humiliation of admitting that I lacked the foresight to bring any ID, I smiled my most trustworthy smile and said “Oh, I don’t have my ID on me; will my Buff OneCard work?” To which the woman responded by turning her left cheek to me, cocking one eyebrow, and glancing at me through the slitted corners of her eyes, in one of the most profound “did you really just say something that stupid to me?” looks I have ever seen. I felt my face flush as the woman held her glare. Then sipping in breaths of air as if she were trying to forcibly calm herself, she strained to unclench her lips and said, “At CU, your Buff OneCard is your ID.”

“Oh,” was all I managed to force out of my throat before hastily handing her my card and fleeing with a big package full of books and embarrassment.

So, to avoid future embarrassment, I promptly asked all of my roommates what my Buff OneCard was for—much to my disappointment, they too had no idea.

So, I sought out an expert. Who would know more about these mystery cards that the woman who handles hundreds of them every day? But, when I asked the lunch lady at the dining hall what my card was for, she responded by glancing kindly, but pointedly, at the sign taped to the front of her kiosk: “1 swipe= 1 entree + 2 sides”. “Right,” I said, handing over my chosen food, “never mind.”

Finally, I decided to consult my most knowledgeable and non-judgmental resource at CU—the website. According to CU’s site, my Buff OneCard is the superhero of little plastic cards; it does just about everything I can imagine (besides fetch my morning coffee, but I hear they are working on that feature).

The site agreed with the horrible woman in the mailroom, your Buff OneCard is your primary form of identification. All students and employees are required to carry it with them at all times and present it to any official upon request.

Next, as the lunch lady informed me, your card is your ticket to meal plans. Just present your card at any dining hall and one swipe can get you a ticket to an all-you-can-eat buffet, or an entre and two to three sides at any grab-and-go. Thanks to my peer mentor, I also stumbled across another trick; you can swipe up to four meals in one day. So, my roommate and I regularly go “shopping” at the grab and goes and stock up on food for the weekend or just for late night snacks.

Your card also holds your “munch money,” university funny money that you can use to pay way too much for late night snacks at convenience stores in the residence halls. I recently bought a small block of cheese for $5.73 and have spent at least $15 on ice cream in the last three weeks (hello freshman 15).

But, now the cards capabilities become more complicated. On top of munch money; there is Campus Cash—more funny money, of a different category, that can only be used to pay for printing and for laundry.

However, the card holds real money too. You can set your card up to work as an ATM/Debit card, if you are willing to open an account with Buff One Banking—the university bank.

Your card is also your buss pass; gaining you access to the RTD, the skip, the hop, the jump, the charger, the stampede, the buff bus, and the light rail. This one magic card can get you almost anywhere in Boulder (and to the Denver airport).

Cards act as keys to dorms, classrooms, and some buildings.

But, the cards capabilities don’t stop there. You can set up the Buff Advantage on your card and get discounts in many restaurants and retail outlets in the local area.

Finally, your card can get you student sports tickets. When you buy a student ticket or season pass, simply present your card at the box office and they will give you access to the student section.

With all of the things that this all in one card can do, it is really no surprise that I had no idea how to use my card. Even now, I have decided that the safest bet is just to hand over my card to anyone I come in contact with, and hope that I have done the right thing.

Coming next: “I Thought Size Mattered”