On-campus money matters inhibit off-campus dining
Danni Powell, Staff Writer
Presidential Scholars joke that dining dollars should come with a disclaimer that states, “Not Real Money.”
While upperclassmen are well-versed in how and where dining dollars can be used, younger students who receive dining dollars from scholarships or as part of a meal plan are often confused.
They try to spend them at the ACAC coffee shop, the bookstore, or even off campus. Unfortunately, this only embarrasses students who then have to scramble for cash or a debit card to pay.
They soon learn the hard way that dining dollars are only accepted in specific locations on campus. Part of the confusion stems from the difference between gold dollars and dining dollars. Gold dollars are funded through money that someone puts directly into a student’s account. Thus, they are easy to use off campus.
Dining dollars are a different story and are funded through scholarships. Senior Blake Hylton, Vice President of Student Association, has researched the use of dining dollars off campus.
Hylton said when the university allows students to spend dining dollars on campus, the cost to the university is offset by the income made by the purchase. Using dining dollars off campus, therefore, is a problem for the university. The money it sets aside is no longer returned in revenue.
If students could spend dining dollars at QuikTrip or McAllister’s, the university would get none of that money back and effectively lose it.
However, every year, students fight for the use of dining dollars off campus. Each time, they are denied that privilege because the university cannot afford to lose money. Instead of continuing this fruitless battle, suggesting alternatives to spending dining dollars off campus might benefit both sides.
Sophomore Kyra McNamara said, “I think a better way to address the issue would be for the University to offer students on housing and dining scholarships two options: fully paid dining plan, or a living stipend equal to the actual cost to the university of such a dining plan.”
It would be nice to see the university expand on-campus dining options, similar to what it accomplished with Chik-Fil-A and the Cort and Martha Dietler Café in McFarlin. It would also be nice to see dining dollars accepted at the dining facilities at the Gilcrease Museum, which were recently moved under Sodexho management. Dining dollar functionality at all campus concessions locations would also be a huge benefit for the students, including both the Reynolds Center and Chapman, Hylton said.
So, Presidential Scholars, be encouraged. Although the administration cannot back scholarships with real money to be used off campus, it has students’ best interests in mind.
The more we persist, the better chance there is that dining dollars will soon become much more valuable around campus. In the meantime, we will have to use gold dollars for off-campus sandwiches and save dining dollars for coffee from McFarlin.
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