The line at the ID Office during Fall Move-in resembled a scene you’d find at a popular theme park. Almost 12,000 students, faculty, and staff received a new MSU ID during two weeks in mid-August. Nearly 8,000 passed through the ID Office doors to receive their ID card or to purchase a student bus pass.
MSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff hands an incoming student her MSU ID card during Fall 2023 Move-In Week.
As daunting as it sounds, the process went relatively smoothly this year, largely thanks to a small army of volunteers and the introduction of a new photo system the ID Office launched in time for the start of the new academic year.
The enhanced feature improves the experience for students who upload photos to have their ID pre-printed. Thanks to successful testing during the spring, the campus-wide rollout of the new system this fall saw more than 6,700 incoming students take advantage of the opportunity, significantly reducing their wait in line and the workload on staff and volunteers.
“In previous years, we were using a homegrown solution where students had to actively log in and upload a photo,” said Lisa Berg, ID Office Manager. “The solution reached a point where it could no longer handle the file size being generated by pictures taken by a student’s phone. The rate of failure was pretty high.”
The new solution addressed two issues. First, every new student receives an email inviting them to upload a photo for their MSU ID card, simplifying the process.
“We now have the ability to customize the communication with each student so there is an understanding of the process and any issues related to photos being rejected,” Berg said.
Second, the new software improves upon the accepted file size, significantly decreasing student uploads’ failure rate.
“I had a great experience with getting my ID. It was fast, easy, and had great instructions,” stated MSU first-year student Leland Huber. “Once I got the email for ID photo submission, it was as easy as looking through my camera roll and finding a photo that followed the rules. Within a day or two, I had a confirmation email that my picture was approved.”
With the new system’s success, volunteers and staff distributed 4,320 of the pre-printed ID cards at the STEM Building over four days. The ID Office extended hours and utilized two pick-up locations this year to help reduce wait times.
“The extended hours and two operations required staffing way more than we can handle,” Berg said. “Fortunately, many Student Life and Engagement (SLE) and MSU IT volunteers stepped forward to help. Because of the level of volunteers that stepped forward, we could provide a much more efficient and quicker service to the students at both locations, which meant they had to spend less time in line.”
Berg said one of the volunteers’ most significant roles was interacting with everyone in line to ensure they were in the right place and had the proper items to get their ID.
“Everything was more efficient and much better for the student experience because of that,” Berg said.
Huber said he picked up his ID from the STEM building and did not have to wait in line. His roommate, however, was not as lucky.
“I have a roommate who did not submit a picture online and had to go to the International Center and wait for an hour and 40 minutes to get his ID,” Huber stated. “Submitting the photo early saved me lots of time during move-in, and I felt like it was set up in a way to lessen the stress of move-in week.”
Berg sincerely thanked MSU IT and Student Life and Engagement volunteers and her ID Office staff.
“They stepped up in a big way to work expediently and efficiently to provide excellent customer service under the pressure of long lines of 1000s of customers,” Berg said. “You all worked with exceptional professionalism, and we never lost our sense of humor.”
