How Temporary Campus Cards & Self-Service Kiosks are Transforming Campus Life at WSU

How Temporary Campus Cards and Self-Service Kiosks are Transforming Campus Life at Washington State University

Imagine this: it's late at night, your campus card is nowhere to be found, and your dorm is locked. In most places, you'd have a stressful night ahead of you. But at Washington State University, they've cracked the code with an innovative, self-service solution: Temporary Campus Cards and kiosks.

Alyssa Heinrich, Manager of Cougar Card at WSU, recently shared some fascinating insights about how their temporary card kiosk system is making student life a whole lot easier, safer, and less stressful. Here’s what you need to know about this smart, student-friendly solution, and why your campus might benefit from something similar.

What Exactly are Temporary Campus Cards?

Temporary campus cards (or "temp cards" as students call them) are exactly what they sound like: short-term campus ID cards that students can quickly get from self-service kiosks. Students simply log into a kiosk with their campus credentials, and within minutes they have a temporary card granting them instant access to residence halls and dining services for up to three days.

After three days, students can either reactivate their original Cougar Card at the kiosk (if found), return their temporary card, or replace their lost card at the Cougar Card office.

Why Students Love It

The system is popular because it solves real-world problems in a practical way. Here's how:

• 24/7 Convenience: Students live on campus around-the-clock, but most campus offices don’t. Temporary card kiosks offer help anytime, with no more waiting until morning if you lose your card at midnight.

• Financial Savings: Lost campus cards typically come with replacement fees. But at WSU, if a student returns their temporary card within two weeks, their $20 replacement charge is fully refunded. Last year alone, this system saved students over $118,000.

• Ease of Use: Kiosks have recently been upgraded with user-friendly keyboards and streamlined login processes. Now, students can easily reactivate their cards, check out temporary cards, or return them, all without repeated logins or complicated procedures.

Positive Impact Across Campus

Not only has the system made life easier for students, but it's also reduced stress for staff:

• Resident Assistants no longer spend countless overnight hours letting locked-out students into buildings, saving nearly 34,000 staff hours last year alone.

• The Residence Life Department can redirect funds from staffing to meaningful student programming and services.

• Detailed kiosk dashboards and automated alerts mean quicker issue resolution and easier kiosk management for campus staff.

Addressing Growing Pains and Challenges

Every good system has its hiccups, and WSU has openly shared their journey. Originally, kiosks faced some minor issues like confusing keyboards and repeated error messages. However, through listening to student feedback and close collaboration with their IT team and Residence Life Department, these challenges have been successfully resolved. Improvements include clear on-screen instructions, keyboards optimized for easy typing, and real-time maintenance notifications that ensure smooth operation around the clock.

The Future of Temporary Cards and Campus Access

While digital and mobile campus IDs become more popular nationwide, physical temporary cards and kiosks still offer a crucial fallback option, especially for students who misplace their devices or face technical glitches. At WSU, they're looking to the future by continuing to refine their self-service systems, while considering how temporary cards could complement mobile credentials.

Could Your Campus Benefit?

WSU’s experience clearly demonstrates the value of temporary card kiosks, not just for large campuses but for institutions of all sizes. Whether your campus has a few hundred or several thousand on-campus residents, the concept of a reliable, student-focused, self-service solution could drastically improve the student experience.

If you're interested in exploring how temporary cards and kiosks can enhance campus security, student satisfaction, and staff productivity, now’s the perfect time. As WSU’s success shows, investing in smart campus card solutions is more than worth it, it’s transformational.

Want to learn more? Join NACCU to connect with other campus card professionals and a variety of vendors that can help you develop this and other student-first solutions.