Client Success Story - Trinity University

Overview

Trinity University has used the Odyssey PCS™ campus card solution from CBORD^® since 2000. The school's initial implementation consisted of the MICROS^® 3700 platform and card readers in all dining operations, an Act One reader in Student Accounts for check verification, and two Datacard^® ID Works^® imaging stations in the Registrar's office.

Today, Trinity has expanded its campus card technology to include functionality for door access, online account management and deposits, mobile privilege verification, snack/beverage vending, pay-for-print and copying solutions, student discount memberships, and much more.

According to Jerry Ferguson, Tiger Card Office Director: "Odyssey PCS allows us to pull together the entire campus through a one-card system, making it a convenient, productive, and indispensable part of our site."

The Tiger Card

Trinity's Odyssey PCS one-card solution is designed to serve as the central control system for door access, declining balance Meal Plan and Tigerbucks funds, and verification of student check-cashing privileges. It also serves as a debit card for dining services, vending and laundry sales, pay-for-print services, copier sales, university theater ticket purchases, library fines, parking tickets, Health Services fees, and various other departmental fees. Patrons simply swipe their ID Cards, affectionately called Tiger Cards, to access their discretionary Tigerbucks funds. Trinity requires all resident students to purchase a declining-balance Meal Plan and encourages students to use Tiger Bucks for all other campus purchases.

Dining

Trinity's dining services are managed by ARAMARK^®. MICROS terminals like the Workstation 5 are located throughout various campus venues, communicating with Odyssey PCS in real time. All campus dining locations accept Meal Plans and Tiger Bucks declining balance tenders for quick and easy payment, as does the C³ convenience store located within the Coates University Center.

In addition to these food concepts, Trinity's Card Office staff supports student organizations by allowing them to check out Troubadour™ handheld card readers from CBORD. Students can use these wireless devices in online mode to collect donations and fees, or verify affiliations.

Off Campus

Trinity's successful off-campus program allows students to use their Tiger Cards for payment at many area merchants, increasing convenience for students and revenue for the university.

Furthermore, Trinity partners with Student Advantage^® to offer students exclusive discounts at local, national, and online merchants. Student Advantage lets Trinity students save up to 50% on everyday purchases at their favorite eateries and online businesses.

Facility Access

The Trinity Tiger Card Office controls electronic building access for campus residential housing areas and academic buildings. The Card Office staff supervises the activities of other university departments as they grant access rights and privileges to the various buildings on campus. With the integration between Odyssey PCS and BEST B.A.S.I.S., employees can control access without maintaining two separate sets of cardholder information databases. They can also program the "first-card unlock" feature, along with easily configured time zone settings for automatically locking doors at the end of each business day.

Vending

Trinity began offering online vending in 2003 with CBORD laundry controllers and an integration with the Pharos Uniprint^® system. Since then, the university has begun replacing the original MDB serial readers with IPbased vending readers for snack/beverage machines and copiers.

Online Account Management

Trinity upgraded its secure online depository to the ManageMyID^® online card management solution from CBORD in the spring of 2008. This service allows students to go online to check account balances, view transaction histories, report lost cards, and make deposits, all from the convenience of their computers. Parents, relatives, and friends may also go online to deposit money into a student's Tigerbucks account.

Library Services

The Coates Library at Trinity utilizes Odyssey PCS' integration with the Pharos Uniprint solution. When students are ready to print, they simply send their finished documents from any networked computer to any networked printer. They can then view the cost of the print job at the release station and decide whether to complete the self-serve printing process.

The library also features five walk-up copiers complete with CBORD card readers, along with a state-of-the-art digital print center which accepts only Tigerbucks for payment. A CBORD ValuePort located in the Library Information Commons area dispenses guest cards, making all of the retail features described above available to university-sponsored conference attendees and casual campus guests alike.

Laundry

Trinity has placed laundry controller units in its residence halls, allowing students to simply swipe their Tiger Cards to pay for laundry. In the fall of 2008, the university added the ability to check washer and dryer availability campus wide. This service, provided by Trinity's laundry contractor, Coinmach, is known as Laundry Alert. Laundry Alert makes it easy for students to set up email or text message notifications advising them of the completion of their laundry cycles.

Bookstore

The Trinity University bookstore, run by Barnes & Noble, allows students the flexibility to pay for items using Tigerbucks. The bookstore is located in one of many buildings equipped with the Best B.A.S.I.S. solution to provide easy access to employees.

Online Ordering

Trinity also uses the Webfood^® online ordering solution from CBORD. Students can go online to view menus and place orders from the pizza and deli stations in the Coates Student University Center, along with the C³ convenience store. Once an order is placed, students can choose whether they would like to pick up their food or have it delivered to their rooms.