[1933] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: [Mit-talk] [UA-SCATR] New Card initiative
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (grace)
Mon Jul 3 13:55:44 2006
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 13:53:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: grace <gkenney@mit.edu>
To: "Sean P. Robinson" <spatrick@mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <004a01c69ec7$2952f1a0$a5062412@mit.edu>
Cc: "Pius A. Uzamere II" <pius@alum.mit.edu>, reubano@alum.mit.edu,
faber@alum.mit.edu, mit-talk@mit.edu
Errors-To: mit-talk-bounces@mit.edu
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another place to look at - if MIT was serious about wanting to retain=20
vendors - would be the w20 rental policies and rates. although i'm not=20
involved in anything that really deals with those sorts of contracts, i've=
=20
heard MIT's policies cited again and again as the things that really made=
=20
it impossible for various vendors [tosci's, newbury comics, the=20
coffeehaus, etc.] to survive here. the fact that certain products can=20
only be sold by one vendor [generally the coop or verde's], combined with=
=20
the high rents, doesn't make it a very attractive location for many=20
vendors.
[see the comments by the student advisory board to hockfield:
http://web.mit.edu/committees/sab/community_resources.shtml
and an article about the departure of newbury comics:
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V118/N20/anewbury.20n.html ]
-grace
gibbering like hunter thompson on a revolutionary drug, spatrick@MIT.EDU sa=
id:
> I think Jacob hit the nail on the head, for the most part.
>
> Jacob Faber wrote:
>> I am not surprised to hear that this is how the administration is
>> rationalizing this potential plan. In reality, this plan is just a
>> way to subsidize the ridiculous monopoly that is MIT campus dining, as
>> were the plans that "were not meal plans" implemented in Baker,
>> Simmons, and Next while I was at MIT. The intention was as obvious
>> then as it is now.
>
> It's a fair bet the parents' thing is a feel-good excuse, not the real re=
ason=20
> behind this proposal.
>
> Although, the "ridiculous" part might be a little much. Is the MIT studen=
t=20
> body really big enough to support a competitive open market of food vendo=
rs=20
> on campus? With the exception of the first floor of the student center, a=
re=20
> there any places on campus where you'd really want a thriving, successful=
=20
> restaurant (meaning open to the public, doing business in a way to attrac=
t in=20
> the public)? While that might be pretty cool in principle, it would=20
> inevitably result in a practical nuisance to any living/research/admin gr=
oup=20
> in the area.
>
> If MIT Dining were really serious about having a successful quality dinin=
g=20
> program, they wouldn't be focusing on manipulating the social structures =
of=20
> the 4000 undergrads, but rather the 10,000 staff members. Throw in the 60=
00=20
> grad students for fun, too. That's a small town, which could reasonably=
=20
> support a small restaurant economy. But I think Dining falls under the=20
> Chancellor, whereas staff issues fall under the Provost. I think. Anyway,=
=20
> just for fun, try tying a mandatory Student meal plan proposal to a manda=
tory=20
> Staff meal plan proposal and watch the proponents struggle to explain the=
=20
> difference between the goose and the gander. It'd be pretty funny, and th=
e=20
> proposal would die pretty quick...unless the admins pushing this are as=
=20
> willing to condescend to their fellow staff members as they are to studen=
ts.
> Actually, as a staff member myself, I can picture some of my colleagues b=
eing=20
> more than willing to punish each other with something like that. Hmmm.
>
> Non Sequitor,
> ++Sean ('99, '05)
>
> P.S. I think the SCAT group is a great idea and one (very) long overdue. =
If=20
> it shows that it can execute as intended by not descending into a group o=
f=20
> brown nosing, resume padding, administrative apologists within a few year=
s=20
> (after its well-principled founding members graduate), then I agree that =
it=20
> should look for the oomph of Presidential status.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jacob Faber" <faber@alum.mit.edu>
> To: "Jessica H Lowell" <jessiehl@mit.edu>
> Cc: <ua-scatr@mit.edu>; <mit-talk@mit.edu>; <reubano@alum.mit.edu>; "Pius=
A.=20
> Uzamere II" <pius@alum.mit.edu>
> Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 9:40 AM
> Subject: Re: [Mit-talk] [UA-SCATR] New Card initiative
>
>
> This is a longer email than I planned, but I'd like to think i bring
> up some good points :)
>
> "What I know, having heard it directly from an involved administrator:
>
> This is intended to reduce confusion and complaining among parents who
> don't understand why we don't have campus-wide meal plans and for some
> reason can't get their heads around the idea of TechCash's declining
> balance system."
>
> I am not surprised to hear that this is how the administration is
> rationalizing this potential plan. In reality, this plan is just a
> way to subsidize the ridiculous monopoly that is MIT campus dining, as
> were the plans that "were not meal plans" implemented in Baker,
> Simmons, and Next while I was at MIT. The intention was as obvious
> then as it is now.
>
> The complaints from the vendors on campus about losing money and need
> subsidy (in the form of the socialist [not that socialism is bad]
> programs implemented in Baker, Simmons, Next, etc. or this plan, which
> will have the long-term effect of forcing students to only eat on
> campus) are completely ridiculous. I always thought that a good way
> to make money in any business was to offer a good product at a
> reasonable price. The vendors should stop whining and look to improve
> their practice.
>
> Imagine if a restaurant in Central Square was losing money and
> demanded a tax increase? This is the kind of absurd logic driving MIT
> policy.
>
> When these changes started to happen around campus when I was at MIT,
> a few students spoke up about how ridiculous this policy stance was.
> Don't get stuck with mediocre, over-priced food, which is the
> inevitable outcome of such unimaginative policy. Demand
> accountability from the vendors and the MIT administration. Remember:
> you're paying both of them to serve you, and you shouldn't have to
> settle for this.
>
> Good luck with everything, especially keeping MIT honest,
> Jacob Faber '04 '06
> Former UA Something or Other
>
> PS =96 Is the Student Committee on Administrative Transparency and
> Relations a real committee or just something clever to put in a sig?
> If it's real, please reply privately, as I'm curious to hear about its
> history/makeup/charter/etc.
>
>
> On 7/3/06, Jessica H Lowell <jessiehl@mit.edu> wrote:
>> What I know, having heard it directly from an involved administrator:
>>=20
>> This is intended to reduce confusion and complaining among parents who=
=20
>> don't
>> understand why we don't have campus-wide meal plans and for some reason=
=20
>> can't
>> get their heads around the idea of TechCash's declining balance system.
>>=20
>> What I think:
>>=20
>> I'd be surprised if this actually reduces confusion. I'd expect it to=
=20
>> cause
>> more, and I said so when I first heard about this. I think it's kind of=
=20
>> dumb
>> and redundant, but if it creates a justification for not putting in=20
>> mandatory
>> meal plans when the relevant admins are being pressured to put them in,=
=20
>> that's
>> convenient.
>>=20
>> What I've heard:
>>=20
>> Students will be able to move money from their Dining Dollars account to=
=20
>> their
>> regular TechCash account, meaning that parents don't actually have more
>> control, even if they think they do.
>>=20
>> - Jessie
>>=20
>> Quoting Steven M Kelch <kelch@MIT.EDU>:
>>=20
>> > Hey everyone,
>> >
>> > It's come through the grapevine that there will be an addition to the =
>=20
>> 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 =
>=20
>> 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 work=
s
>> > and want a simpler plan, or parents who want a little more control ove=
r
>> > 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 fe=
w
>> > have expressed concern also that the incoming freshmen will not know >=
=20
>> that
>> > the system is optional and that there is an alternative system already=
>=20
>> in
>> > place. On the other hand, the new account will help strengthen on-camp=
us
>> > dining, nearly all of which has been steadily losing money.
>> >
>> > It is rumored that a press release from the Dining Office is expected.=
>=20
>> The
>> > system has already been set up, and is expected to go live near the >=
=20
>> first
>> > of August. An informative mailing to the freshmen class is also >=20
>> expected,
>> > though whether this is going to happen and what the information is goi=
ng
>> > to be has yet to be confirmed.
>> >
>> > Let me clarify that this information is second hand, and I only want t=
o
>> > begin a discussion. Additionally, THIS IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A >=
=20
>> MEAL
>> > PLAN. The system is completely optional, and is intended as a >=20
>> convenience.
>> > Dean of Student Life Larry Benedict has been quoted on numerous >=20
>> occasions
>> > that there are no attempts to create meal plans currently in the works=
=2E
>> >
>> > I bring the issue up because it has met with resistance, and I would >=
=20
>> 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 =
>=20
>> that
>> > others will? What benefits/problems do you see? What would you like th=
e
>> > students and admins close to this project to know?
>> >
>> >
>> > (SCATR)
>> > Student Committee on Administrative Transparency and Relations
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > ua-scatr mailing list
>> > ua-scatr@mit.edu
>> > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua-scatr
>> >
>>=20
>>=20
>> _______________________________________________
>> MIT-talk mailing list
>> MIT-talk@mit.edu
>> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/mit-talk
>>=20
>
>
> --=20
> Jacob W. Faber
> Phone: 857.928.2838
>
> _______________________________________________
> MIT-talk mailing list
> MIT-talk@mit.edu
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/mit-talk
>
>
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