Rio Hondo : Student Cards to Get Fancy

In an attempt to spur sales, student leaders at Rio Hondo College have decided to offer a laminated student body card next fall.

Jennifer McKinney, director of student activities, said only about half the 12,000 students at the two-year campus bought ASB cards this year. Four years ago, she said, nearly 90% of the student body purchased the cards, which entitle students to free admission to all on-campus theater and athletic events, legal services and child care.

One reason for the sales decline, she said, is that the current cards are thin and flimsy and do not have the students’ picture. “Although the cards are good off-campus for discounts on movie and ski lift tickets, nobody takes the card seriously because it does not look like much,” McKinney said.

The new cards, she said, will be similar to a credit card in thickness, size and format. It also will bear the student’s picture. And it will cost more--$8 per semester as opposed to the current card which costs $7 a semester. The increase is to help cover the cost of purchasing about $2,000 in equipment to manufacture the new cards, McKinney said.