Although validation sticker distribution has been delayed, students should be receiving stickers for their university identification cards later this week.

NIU Bursar Richard Cochrane said distribution of the validation stickers is about one month behind schedule. “The vendor is a month late for some reason we (the bursar’s office) don’t have an answer to,” Cochrane said.

The bursar’s office received a shipment of the stickers last week and the remaining stickers arrived Monday afternoon. Cochrane said the office was waiting until they received all of the stickers before releasing them to the students.

The validation stickers will be mailed to students. “Students should have them by the end of this week,” Cochrane said.

Gary Greshold, assistant vice president for student affairs, said the Student Association initiated the photo ID card program in fall 1985. The purpose of the photo ID card is to verify enrollment at the university.

“Stickers were a part of it (the ID program) because they provided a way for students to show they were enrolled for a certain semester,” Greshold said.

Ali Forootan, supervisor of the ID card program in University Food Services, said that because there is no way to take IDs back from the students after their period of enrollment expires, the validation sticker provides a way to show who is eligible for NIU’s services.

This year, students who receive new IDs have the word “student” written along the side of their picture. Forootan said this was added because of requests from the SA Mass Transit Board to distinguish students from faculty and staff because they thought faculty and staff were riding the bus for free.