By Thomas Irumva
The RaiderCard is the student ID card that all Grand Rapids Community College students and employees need to obtain.
Students will need to get this at the Student Life Office during their orientation session on GRCC’s Main Campus or at the Lakeshore Campus in Holland.
“Students need to be signed up for classes for the current or upcoming semester and bring in some form of photo ID (passport, license, high school ID) before they can come and get one, and a replacement ID is $10 if it has been less than two years since it was first issued to the student or employee,” said Tyler Anderson, Student Life Service and Technology Coordinator.
Students can load their ID cards with funds online via the StudentLink page or through the in-person kiosks that take cash or credit cards. StudentLink does offer some additional features, such as a low balance alert, automatic deposits and a lost card button to deactivate the card if it is lost and the same button will activate the card when found.
“The most frequent use of the ID card is to use it for parking on campus,” Anderson said. “Students must use this for parking in the ramp/ structures on campus at the Grand Rapids campus. Students pay $3.50 per day as long as they use the card to enter and exit the parking ramp with funds loaded to the card.”
It’s common for new students to get confused about RaiderCard use.
“A portion of the student population each semester is unsure how the card is used for parking,” Anderson said, explaining that students need to tap the card to enter and exit.
Each ramp entrance should have a sticker to indicate where to scan the card.
“The card must be loaded with funds for this to work and that the card cannot go in a negative balance,” Anderson said.
ID cards are used for many things across campus other than parking. Some students receive financial aid to use on the RaiderCard, some receive scholarship funds on the card, students can use the card for tutoring labs and printing. The card is also used for door and building access, like to access the fitness center and locker room in Ford Fieldhouse.
In Grand Rapids, GRCC students get free admission to many local hot-spots such as The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids Art Museum and more. For more information, check out Go See GR!
Students can discover more about the raidercard by going to www.grcc.edu/raidercard.
