The Secretary of State’s Mobile Service has made its first appearance of the semester on Eastern’s campus.

From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., employees of the Secretary of State’s office were in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Bridge Lounge providing the services of a regular DMV.

According to the press release, the event was open to students, faculty, staff and any local residents on campus.

“I encourage all motorists to take advantage of the mobile unit on campus,” said Secretary of State Jesse White.    

The services include: renewal and replacement of both drivers licenses and state IDs, vehicle sticker sales, license plate sales, the ability to purchase EIU-specific collegiate license plates, organ/tissue donor registration, and the ability to receive a parking placard for individuals with disabilities.

According to Micah Miller, the coordinator of the Eastern Mobile unit, vehicle transactions and vehicle registration could also be dealt with at the mobile station.

For those looking to renew their driver’s license, the release states that motorists can do so up to one year in advance of their license’s expiration date.

A complete list of forms of identification is available at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

Miller described the unit as “basically a full-service DMV” that could do everything except give a driving test.

The goal of the unit is to provide convenience and to bring the services of a facility closer to the community, Miller said.

“Student life can be busy. The last thing on a student’s mind when they wake up in the morning is renewing their ID or registration,”

Miller said. “We’ll do anything to keep you from driving to a facility; we try to be as accommodating as we can.”

The mobile service does not just come to Eastern’s campus.

They tour around the state, setting up shop in a number of locations, such as the State Fair, to provide their mobile DMV services to all members of the community.

Miller said senior citizens make up a large portion of their clientele.

Miller said student groups around campus, such as the sorority Kappa Delta and the fraternity Sigma Pi, help in signing individuals up to become organ donors.

With these organizations advertising on behalf of the unit, they would sometimes have upwards of 40 people coming in to sign up for Organ Donation, Miller said.

This was the first but not the last time the mobile unit will visit Eastern this school year, as they try to make it back on a monthly basis during the fall and spring semesters.

Those that missed the mobile service’s campus visit this time around can expect them to return on October 9th of this year.

They will again be in the Bridge Lounge located inside the Union.

A full list of dates and info on other services the Secretary of State’s office has to offer can be found on www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

Jesse Wilson-Brown can be reached at 581-2812 or at jcwilsonbrown@eiu.edu.