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The new identification system of the University of West London in Ontario has caused mixed reactions from students and may see organized opposition from the union representing its faculty and staff.

The system provides Western brand lanyards and hard plastic Western ONECard holders for any students, employees or visitors of the main campus who wish to opt-in.

Read more: Western University: New ID system can increase security and increase community

In a statement sent to Global News on Monday, Western officials stated that “the use of the lanyard is completely voluntary and will not be enforced.”

The system aims to create "a convenient, safe and easy-to-use way to save existing Western ONECards," the university said, noting that hundreds of cards are lost every year, of which 1,600 will be replaced in 2020.

On Monday, Western began distributing lanyards and cardholders to students. Student ONECards displays the student’s full name, student ID and their facial photos. Similar information can be found on the employee version of the card.

Andrew Sarazin and Kaitlyn Patterson picked up their lanyard and card holder that day, but said they were confused by the reasoning behind the new system.

"We used to bring cards, why is it different now?" Patterson said.

"I know some people say they don't carry cards with them, so this might be a better way for you to carry cards with you. I think this is a good idea," Sarazin added.

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Salam Radhaa was as confused as his classmates, and he told Global News that he was "not sure what they wanted."

"The campus is huge. There are many buildings here and they are open to the public, so I find it difficult for everyone to bring a lanyard. For some people, just showing your name and photo may make people uncomfortable. ," Lada said, adding that he would not pick up his lanyard.

"I will lose it. I will stop using it. I have seen masks everywhere. I may start to see the lanyard in a few weeks."

As long as the system remains voluntary, Mavi Deol does not have any plans to pick up the lanyard.

"The other thing to remember in the morning is masks, wallets, keys, phones and name tags," Deol said.

"I haven't got one yet, but I like the idea very much," Jericho Salvador said.

"My student ID has been lost several times. Once I thought it was in the washing (and) found it in a pair of pants. It's good to have something to grab, so I thought it would be cool."

Sushila Chandal picked up a lanyard on Monday but did not intend to wear it, adding that if the West “explains the reason, maybe I will”.

Chandal also worries about revealing personal information when walking around campus.

"It also has your student ID on it, so I don't want people to be able to access this information," Chandal said. "I like it, but I won't wear it."

In a statement to Global News, Western stated that “people who are not used to showing their WesternONECard can stick it on their body, so it’s invisible.”

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The new system drew severe criticism from the University of Western Ontario Teachers Association (UWOFA), partly because it did not consult the union.

UWOFA Chairman Nigmendra Narain stated that union members have raised a series of concerns, including the lack of a reason to activate the system.

Other concerns include: when wearing a lanyard in public, the display of name, face and ONECard identification number will bring potential security risks, and allowing tourists to wear their own lanyard will lead to a greater risk of the "town and dress gap" .

Narain added that people are also concerned about the potential impact of creating "internal and external groups" through the system and from the perspective of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness.

"If we have consulted, many of these concerns will be raised, and we may come up with a better system," Narain said.

"Our faculty members have been studying this kind of stuff. They talk to the police force, talk to the government, work with NGOs, etc."

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UWOFA is now studying different ways to resolve the concerns of its members, and Narain hopes that other employee groups will also join.

"We will look for methods currently available, but we only discovered this through this email on Thursday afternoon," Narain said.

"There should be a better, more advisory plan to develop a good security plan, not what we are seeing now."

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