Associated Students is challenged with updating the photo I.D. card and making it more appealing for students. When Moorpark College students purchase a photo I.D. card, they receive a list of businesses that offer discounts on clothes, Moorpark College events, and most importantly, food.

Many of the listed discounts are no longer available because several of the businesses that offered those discounts are now closed.

The list of discounts available to students who carry a photo I.D. card has fallen out of maintenance and is in need of a major update.

For Director of Student Services Melvin Kim, resolving this issue means reestablishing a relationship with local businesses that has been neglected in the past.

“I’ve been calling up businesses, and going in person to talk to them,” said Kim. “I talked to the owner of Custom Melt and Custom Pie, [and] I’ve also talked to Campus Yogurt, and Burger Express.”

The sale of photo I.D. cards is the main source of income for the Associated Students’ operating budget. This operating budget funds, among other things, club activities and scholarships for students. Over the past two years, I.D. card sales have been down $19,000, even with stable enrollment.

According to Kim, the process of getting an I.D. card can be inconvenient and circuitous. A student who visits the Student Activities office with the intention of purchasing an I.D. card will be instructed to visit the Business office, in the Administration building, to pay for the card. Upon doing so, the student must return to the Student Activities office to take their photo and receive the I.D. card.

Kim’s solution to this problem is allowing students to use the computer in the Associated Students office to purchase their I.D. online through the MyVCCCD portal.

“I want to make it as easy as possible for [the students],” said Kim. “They’re funding student organizations, they’re the ones that… provide schoolwide benefits.”

However, students attempting to purchase an I.D. card online may hit a few roadblocks. If a student who previously attended another Ventura County Community College District school tried to buy their Moorpark College I.D. online, the sale will default to that college. This means that a former Ventura or Oxnard College student will not be able to purchase a Moorpark College I.D. online.

For Kim, the issues with online card sales are troubling but out of his control.

“I think it’s terrible,” said Kim. “[Associated Students is] trying to get an answer [from the IT department] by the end of the week.”

Students can purchase an I.D. card either through the MyVCCCD portal or by visiting the Students Activities office in the campus center. Cards cost either $10 for a semester or $15 for a year.

Students are encouraged to contact Student Services Director Melvin Kim with suggestions for I.D. card benefits. Kim can be reached by email at [email protected], or students can visit the Student Activities office in the Campus Center to speak with him or leave him a note.

“If you want something, I really want to hear from you,” said Kim. “I’m here to represent what you want.”