University scrip in limbo

By Megan Bakker
The Collegian

The Food Services Department is cooking up possible changes in the way students pay for their meals.

Food Services Director, Paul Idsvoog calls the current system “kind of cumbersome” for students. Right now, only students living in the dorms are allowed to buy into the university’s meal plans, which offer various combinations of meals in the dining hall and “flex” dollars, money that can be used at any of the on-campus restaurants. The flex dollars are further split up into two groups: money digitally scanned into the student’s ID card and university issued paper scrip.

Idsvoog said he wants to streamline the system, putting all of student’s food money onto their ID cards or opening up the system so that students living off campus can buy into it as well.

“Yeah, it’s kind of annoying having to remember which places take the ID card and which don’t,” said freshman resident Sandy Cohen. “I end up eating in the dining hall most of the time.”

The original reason for the split, Idsvoog said, is that the register systems at many of the on-campus restaurants are not able to read the ID cards. Since the register system is state-controlled, rather than managed by the campus itself, getting it replaced is a long process.

The question is whether to allow all students to buy into the flex money program and continue issuing paper scrip until the registers are updated, or to wait until the registers are updated before introducing the changes, Idsvoog said.

“We don’t want it to be that complicated,” said Idsvoog, adding that the main idea behind giving all students the chance to participate in the program is so they “don’t have to carry cash around.”

“It’s kind of a neat idea,” said junior Robert Andes, who lives off campus. “But unless it was a gift or something, I’d just use my debit card. It’s not like I’d be saving any money with the ID card.”

Idsvoog will meet with different officials to discuss options. He plans to have a decision and a final timeline as to replacing the registers sometime early September.