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ISU specialty plates can now be personalized
By Michele Steinbacher
msteinbacher@pantagraph.com
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NORMAL — Drivers in Illinois soon could spy a “REDBIRD” in the rearview mirror.

Or they might find themselves trailing “ISU 1857” — a nod to the Normal campus’s sesquicentennial — or any other number of combinations on license plates.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White visited the Illinois State University campus this week to herald the news: Those with ISU specialty license plates now may personalize the plates.

In the past, the specialty-plate buyers were assigned a random numeric plate.

White also used the ISU appearance to promote a new service for ISU: a mobile drivers’ license facility to serve ISU’s 20,000 students and 4,000 employees. The unit, which was open Thursday at ISU, will return Oct. 25, Dec. 6, Jan. 31, March 21 and April 24.

Plans call for the service to be repeated each academic year.

The mobile units have been visiting other sites in Illinois since 2005 to promote White’s vision for his office, said White spokesman Henry Haupt.

“He wants to make the services more accessible,” Haupt said.

Visitors can renew driver’s licenses, buy registration stickers, and access other services. They also may register to vote or sign up to become organ and tissue donors.

Having the mobile facility present on ISU’s campus is “one more avenue our students can use to participate in a meaningful way,” said Al Bowman, ISU president.

“It’s appealing because students can register to vote, and they can also sign up for the organ donation program,” he said.

As for the specialty plates, the state has offered those for more than a decade — ISU is one of 13 campus titles among 60 specialty choices.

Personalized plates allow a buyer to select a letter/number combination — as in “ISU 1857.” Vanity plates are letters-only phrases, as in “REDBIRD.”

The costs range from $116 to $212.

Last year, ISU’s general scholarship fund earned nearly $17,000 from the sales, said Haupt.

For more information on the specialty plates, visit White’s office Web site, www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

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Reader comments on this story - 4 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

ISU Alum wrote on Sep 1, 2007 6:06 PM:

" This is a nice service Chelly because more than half of the ISU students do not hvae cars to get to the DMV loacted in Bloominton. "

Chelly wrote on Aug 31, 2007 10:22 PM:

" We haeva drivers serrvices facility right re in Bloomington. Its not that hard to get to and does all those services. Why do we need to spend the money on a mobile unit on campus once a month? "

Not valid wrote on Aug 31, 2007 9:30 PM:

" Only 3 letters with 1 to 9 is allowed. "

Cool, wrote on Aug 31, 2007 6:36 PM:

" I'm sure a lot of folk will be getting those. "
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