Student Government is planning to improve the way students pay for services on campus by consolidating All Campus, Board Bucks, and Wolfcopy into one unified system accessible through each student’s identification card.
Currently, each system represents a separate account students must manage. Board Bucks are generally acquired through meal plans and can be used at food service locations on campus. Students using Board Bucks are not charged tax.
The All Campus account functions similarly to a debit card where credit can be used for food as well as at retail locations and for ticketing.
Board Bucks and All Campus credit are applied through student ID’s.
The Wolfcopy system requires students to obtain a separate card and add money to a separate account to use the University printing system.
Robert Kirk, a sophomore in history, said he welcomed the combination of these payment systems.
“It seems silly to have them all separated,” he said. “They should be combined.”
“It’s annoying that you have to set up an account for meals, another for the C-Store, and another for laundry,” Kirk said.
Kirk also said combining the systems might open up more opportunities for students to abuse the system.
Students with unlimited meal plans have the opportunity to apply their meals towards purchases at coffee shops and fast food locations through an equivalency program.
By including All Campus and Wolfprint in this system, students could potentially apply equivalency to purchases other than meals.
Robert Susick, a freshman in chemistry, said he recognized the potential for abuse but didn’t think it would be any different from how it is now.
“People are good enough at cheating the system now anyways,” he said. “But there will definitely be more room for abuse as there would be no way to distinguish equivalency from other aspects of the system.”
Regardless, Susick said the change would be a positive one.
“Having it all on one system would make it easier to keep track of,” Susick said. “The current system is fine, but using one system everywhere is more useful.”
Jim Ceresnak, student body president, suggested this change to Campus Enterprise, the company administrating the All Campus program.
“It would be more convenient if all services that require card access were on one card,” he said. “We want it to become the most seamless system as possible so it would be easier for students.”
“We have talked to the administration,” Ceresnak said. “They’re definitely aware of the desire and are working towards it. Looking for ways to make the system more convenient is something we are continually involved in.”
Bob Wood, interim associate vice chancellor of Campus Enterprises, said the card update would include more than just combining accounts.
Wood said students would need to be issued new cards and the current card readers would be replaced at no cost to students.
According to Wood, the new cards would also have a built-in utility to replace key fobs and allow students to use them to access restricted areas.
Michael McKnight, a sophomore in biomedical engineering, said there is no great need for a change.
“Change wouldn’t be bad, but the current system works fine as it is and there won’t be much of a difference,” McKnight said. “I don’t really see an issue to change the system as you’re still going to be paying the same money to the same people.”