Additional Reporting by Sok Kong

The student ID card has returned for this new quarter, as all students, staff and faculty can get their ID cards now at the 5000 (FOSS) Building. Those who need an ID card can go to the 2nd floor and check in with the Welcome Desk to have their photo taken and to receive their card.

The photo booth is attended during the following hours: Monday and Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. When applying for a student ID, it is important to bring your ctcLink ID number and a photo ID. Students must have a current class scheduled for this quarter.

In an interview in October 2023, Vice President of Student Services Derek Levy said, “Our goal is to relaunch ID production within a few weeks.” The college had purchased a system to provide the cards, but the implementation was delayed after last year’s ransomware incident.

An announcement was made in Shoreline Today on April 1; however, it was not published on the enrollment website due to the need to minimize staff strain. It is up for discussion whether stickers on ID cards will be implemented to indicate the current academic year.

Student ID cards offer several other benefits to students. Those include:

• College student discounts at some retail stores, restaurants and entertainment, etc.
• Event access in which student IDs may easily grant access to campus events, such as sporting events, concerts, or theater productions.
• Healthcare services where in some cases, student IDs can be linked to medical services or records and insurance companies making it easier when students go to the hospital.

Physical ID cards are especially important for international students, said Nanami Yoshida, a biology student from Japan.

“Especially for the students who are new here and haven’t [received] their WA ID card, they need to bring their passports around which is kind of dangerous, because they may lose it or it may be stolen,” Yoshida said.