UCards are now the only cards accepted by Dining Services, further phasing out the need for students to use credit cards and phasing in the use of UCards for everyday campus purchases.
Dining Services includes the Food Court and University Grounds Coffee Shop in the University Center and also the Library Bistro in the IUS Library.
They will no longer be swiping credit cards due to the excessive expense of credit card fees last year.
Dana C. Wavle, vice chancellor for Administration and Finance, sent a campus-wide e-mail out on Aug. 18. He said IU Southeast spent more than $24,000 on credit card transaction fees during the 2008 to 2009 academic school year.
Most of the fees were transactions averaging $3.50 or less. Wavle said Dining Services could no longer budget such substantial fees.
Mike Kerstiens, director of Campus Card Services, said Dining Services was being charged $0.55 per transaction, which is about half the price of a soda.
Credit card companies charge an even higher transaction fee on smaller transaction amounts, forcing Dining Services to eliminate credit card use effective Aug. 17.
UCards and cash are still accepted.
Even if they cannot be used to directly buy food, credit cards can be used to purchase meal plans and to deposit funds into UCard accounts.
Students can make deposits at the Bursars Office either by walking in, by phone or online on the IUS Web site under the UCard section.
Students can also refill their UCards at The Commons cash-to-card kiosk, which is cash only, located in University Center North near the Food Court.
“We want the UCard to be a reasonable substitution for students,” Kerstiens said. “We’re trying to make it as convenient as possible to benefit the student.”
UCards are campus identification cards and have been gradually phased in throughout the last couple of years to accommodate the changing student life on campus.
UCards have slowly emerged by expanding its uses through a Phasing Plan implemented by Campus Card Services.
The UCard has grown from the campus identification card to the multiple purpose card used by students to get a soda from the vending machine, wash clothes or to buy a ticket to a sports game.
Hunter Luthi, computer science freshman, said he believes students will transition into using their UCards.
“Students will eventually become used to it,” Luthi said.
Currently, the UCard is accepted at select Coke and vending machines as well as the IUS Bookstore,
laundry facilities and copy machines. It can also purchase tickets at the Ogle Center and Activities Building for admission to sporting events.
The UCard is essential for security access into the residence halls, for textbook buybacks and as a student’s IUS Library card.
Melissa Hill, manager of Campus Card Services, has been in contact with off-campus vendors, such as Papa Johns, to contract with UCards and make them accessible for students wanting to purchase items outside of campus.
No agreements have been reached yet, but Hill said she hopes this will be something that students can look forward to this year.
Kerstiens said vendors choosing to accept UCards, such as the Dining Services and the IUS Bookstore, have to pay a small commission to IU Southeast on the UCard sales.
She said this is better for IU Southeast because the commission flows back into the campus as opposed to vendors paying fees to an outside credit card agency.
Hill said students can no longer request the Bursars Office to distribute their financial aid refunds to their UCards. A federal law prohibits this.
There is a $25 replacement charge on lost UCards.
For more information go to http://www.ius.edu/ucard/index.cfm .
By LEAH TATE
Staff Writer
lmtate@ius.edu