Colorado Mesa University’s new campus ID platform tracks the most popular items in the dining hall, but more importantly, it tracks when students aren’t making it to the dining hall in the first place.
“We have about 2,500 beds on campus, but if 2,500 people aren’t entering our dining hall during the first couple weeks of the semester,
OneCard VIP lets us know,” says Breanne Meier, director of university center at the 11,000-student school in Grand Junction, Colorado. “Residence Life then works with the RAs to check in with their residents, remind them what times meals are offered, and just make sure their transition is going as well as we hoped for them.”
This check-in helps the university meet its goal of keeping students engaged, which ensures retention.
Wide scope of capabilities
This detailed reporting was just one feature that led CMU to select OneCard VIP by TouchNet to replace a legacy system, which was used for 20 years.
“OneCard VIP representatives showcased new industry standards, they understood our processes, and they identified areas where they could support our students,” Meier says. “That, coupled with the flexibilities of the system and the cost savings, helped us realize the breadth of the platform.”
The university considered about seven proposals before choosing OneCard VIP, which is used for identification, meal plans and parking meters, as well as for checking out equipment from the game room and recreation center. Faculty and staff use it to validate who attends events—such as a theater production or ensemble for fine arts students—and to see student pictures on class rosters.
Unified system
CMU had already been using TouchNet Payment Center in its business office, so now permissions, credentials and payments are unified in one system.
The campus card is equipped and integrates technology with both an embedded chip and a magnetic stripe, allowing students to tap and go at retail outlets. This seamless system enables the university’s plans to accept Apple Pay for point-of-sale transactions at all cash registers and on the school’s e-commerce site, Meier says.
Multiple ID templates
OneCard VIP does not limit the school to just one template, so students who complete internships and clinical rotations at a nearby hospital can get an ID card that satisfies the identification requirements of the medical facility, Meier says.
The card also meets the needs of food service, retail outlets and off-campus merchants.
“They really enjoy working with the new system,” Meier says. “It’s a lot more efficient than before, and the customized reports they can create give them the information they want in formats they’ve requested. That level of flexibility is one of the reasons we chose this solution.”
For more information, visit touchnet.com
