[1908] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: [Mit-talk] New Card initiative
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (grace)
Sun Jul 2 17:39:20 2006
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2006 17:38:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: grace <gkenney@mit.edu>
To: Steven M Kelch <kelch@mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.62L.0607021523370.16993@ptolomaea.mit.edu>
Cc: mit-talk@mit.edu
Errors-To: mit-talk-bounces@mit.edu
how will this "strengthen" on-campus dining? are there really huge
numbers of parents who'd give their kids tech cash only if they weren't
capable of buying horrible things like toothpaste or pencils or [gasp]
textbooks with it? students who are likely to eat on campus probably do
so whether or not they have tech cash, and [from a student's point of
view] this card offers nothing that doesn't already exist. indeed, for
the same cost, it offers _less_. any expectation that this'll save campus
dining sounds deluded to me.
furthermore, for parents who really want control over their kid's
spending, it's possible to set up a tech cash account so that other people
[that is, parents] can see what is being spent where. if the parents are
providing the cash, they can tell their kid that they won't add any more
money if they're spending most of their money at the coop [is that really
a common problem?]
so there aren't any real advantages here, but there are disadvantages -
freshmen won't be able to get food from verde's, for example [which is the
only on-campus food-source after 11pm, and which is a pretty popular
source of sandwiches and cold drinks]. it's really a "some-food-only"
option, which seems needlessly confusing as well as pointless - it's a fix
for a problem that i'm not really convinced is there. better explanations
of how tech cash works could reduce parental confusion, while this, in the
end, will only increase confusion for everyone.
-grace
gibbering like hunter thompson on a revolutionary drug, kelch@MIT.EDU said:
> Hey everyone,
>
> It's come through the grapevine that there will be an addition to the MIT ID
> card. In addition to Tech Cash, there will be a new account created
> that will be "food only". Where Tech Cash can be used at any location that
> currently accepts it (and, so I hear, possibly a few more being added), this
> new "food only" account will be accepted at places that sell only food items.
> This means that the Coop, La Verdes, and student groups that accept Tech Cash
> for ticket sales are excluded.
>
> The primary motivation for the creation of this account seems to be appeasing
> parents who are either confused about the way Tech Cash works and want a
> simpler plan, or parents who want a little more control over the way their
> child spends the money they put into the account. Many students that I have
> talked to feel that the system is redundant. A few have expressed concern
> also that the incoming freshmen will not know that the system is optional and
> that there is an alternative system already in place. On the other hand, the
> new account will help strengthen on-campus dining, nearly all of which has
> been steadily losing money.
>
> It is rumored that a press release from the Dining Office is expected. The
> system has already been set up, and is expected to go live near the first of
> August. An informative mailing to the freshmen class is also expected, though
> whether this is going to happen and what the information is going to be has
> yet to be confirmed.
>
> Let me clarify that this information is second hand, and I only want to begin
> a discussion. Additionally, THIS IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A MEAL PLAN. The
> system is completely optional, and is intended as a convenience.
> Dean of Student Life Larry Benedict has been quoted on numerous occasions
> that there are no attempts to create meal plans currently in the works.
>
> I bring the issue up because it has met with resistance, and I would like a
> discussion so that concerns can be raised and addressed. What are people's
> thoughts? Will you use the system? Even if not, do you think that others
> will? What benefits/problems do you see? What would you like the students and
> admins close to this project to know?
>
>
> (SCATR)
> Student Committee on Administrative Transparency and Relations
>
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