Staff in the ISUCard office generate between 11,000 and 12,000 university ID cards for new students and employees each year. Roughly half of those cards -- close to 5,800 this year -- roll out in June during new student orientation. Two staff members, assisted by three summer student employees, handle that volume at a rate of about 280 student IDs per day, mostly during a two-hour morning crunch.
It's a fundamental moment in a student's acclimation to college life. What says "I belong here" better than a photo ID? ISUCard manager Jody Pietz, who started her 27th orientation, has learned a thing or two about ID cards that make people smile.
"A majority of the students are very excited about this step. Some acknowledge to us, 'I know it's not a glamour shot,' but it's important to them," Pietz said. "They get to choose to smile or not. We focus on basic things like, are their eyes open, can we tell their eye color and does the image represent them adequately?"
Program specialist Ashley Thompson, who operates a third photo station while supporting the student employees at the first two and prints cards for electronically submitted student photos as the images arrive, admitted, "It's kind of a whirlwind process. They're not here in our office very long."
Regardless, they all get a smile and a "You're all set. Have a good day," from her as she hands them their new card.
Like many employees providing a critical student service at orientation, Pietz hasn't planned a family vacation in June -- or the runner-up busy card month, August -- in decades. Not this summer. She retired at the end of last week to finally enjoy a pandemic-delayed cruise.
