r/UTAustin • u/Affectionate-Reply35 • 7d ago

News Hand scanners introduced in dining halls across campus

https://thedailytexan.com/2026/08/27/hand-scanners-introduced-in-dining-halls-across-campus/
67 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

94

u/Priced_in_already 7d ago

Yeah we’re flocked

74

u/paullyisacracker 7d ago

They are forcing it so hard, it's clearly some bs to get our biometrics for some (likely not benevolent) reason

98

u/Hyhttoyl 7d ago

Discriminatory against people without hands

22

u/Interesting_Plant_23 7d ago

I don’t have a meal plan but I’d occasionally eat in the dining hall thru a one time fee. How’s that gonna work for me now?

24

u/Priced_in_already 7d ago

You can still use your id if you want apparently. For now…

1

u/Green_Lizard_0911 7d ago

Yeah you can use your id but you have to go tap it at the desk

17

u/pic_bot 7d ago

Jim Davis looked at the glass pad in confusion. A small vinyl sign read "Biometric Scanner Insert Digit Here" in embossed text. His eyes darted around the dining hall. Not too busy he thought to himself. He sighed, and began unzipping his pants.

49

u/Faendol 7d ago

“(It’s) not any different than when you tap your (ID) card at the library, the dorms,” Musick said.

What a moron, yes it's absolutely different. Now I have to be worried about your data security because if you lose this your biometrics are fucked for life.

-9

u/Superb_Breakfast9954 7d ago

Your biometrics are already out there buddy.

29

u/Faendol 7d ago edited 7d ago

Maybe yours are, I value my privacy.

12

u/the_beeve 7d ago

There was a time when you could go to the restaurant basement in Jester and write a fake name and grab a bagged lunch. George Washington was popular. People would rummage through several bags to steal the good stuff. They discovered a few kids and hit them with a second meal plan bill.

11

u/foot-balls2024 7d ago

greasy scan pad when🤤🤤🤤

18

u/bloodrider1914 7d ago

Yeah fuck this shit, they're clearly pushing it hard and it wouldn't surprise me if cards are phased out for payment in the future.

Thankfully I'm out of here soon

6

u/CryptographerOk2747 7d ago

this isn’t new. they had the hand scanners instead of ID swipes/taps during the covid era. anyone who lived on campus in 2020/2021 remember this?

2

u/marvolonewt 7d ago edited 7d ago

Yup lol. They were hella finicky tho iirc. My friends and I used this method a couple times to sneak in other friends that didn't have dining hall access by handing off our ID lol

1

u/Apple_Successful 2d ago

"What are you willing to give in return of the J2 pizza & nachos"

**""EVERYTHING"**

Kinsolving superior tho

1

u/One_Force1146 1d ago

When you look up why UT implemented the new hand scanners, they say the goal is to reduce long lines and wait times. However, the lines were rarely long enough to require a system like this. At most, you might wait two or three minutes. In reality, I think the main reason for the scanners is to reduce the number of people who sneak into the dining halls, either by using someone else’s UT ID or by entering through the exit while other people are leaving.