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On the Job—OneCard Center

The Bulletin spoke with Amy Trimmer, customer service supervisor of the OneCard Center.

What do people think you do?
“They know we issue the OneCard but there’s a lot of confusion about what the OneCard is. We get a lot of people, students particularly, who come into the office and they’ve been told they need a card but they’re not sure why or what it is.” 

What does the card really do?
“It does many, many things. It’s the official ID for the University. It’s a library card. You can deposit money on it and use it on and off campus to make purchases at different vendors. Students receive 100 free pages every semester to use the printers in the computer labs. It’s a discount copy card. You can link your OneCard to a Wells Fargo checking account and it can be your ATM card.”

Describe your office.
“We’re located in the Brighton Hall Annex and although we’re in the middle of campus people often walk right by our office and don’t even know we’re here. We’re also a pretty small operation; it’s just me and a student assistant most of the time with extra help when we’re especially busy. The beginning of the semester is always extremely busy.”

What surprises people?
“How many uses the OneCard has.”

What is your biggest challenge?
“Having to reissue cards to the entire campus last semester was a big challenge. Getting information to everyone is another one. One example is the 100 pages students receive every semester to use with the printers. It’s equal in value to $5 but it’s not like having cash on your card. But students think they receive money and try to purchase things or use the photocopy machines. It’s taken a long time to educate everyone on how that works and what it is and isn’t. It can also be quite a challenge to get people to us. You’ll notice in Brighton Hall there are lots of signs directing people to go outside the building to find our office.”

What do you get asked the most?
“How to find other buildings. Questions about what the card does. People often mistake us for the SacLink office so they want us to reset the password on their e-mail accounts. We get asked all kinds of questions.”