Caffeine on your card

Cardreader installed in CoffeeHouse

by Marty Beard

For students with no cash but an ample meal plan, there's now an alternative to Sammy's and Central Kitchen. The Coffee-House's new card reader gives students the option of paying for all refreshments from the CoffeeHouse using their meal plan.

The CoffeeHouse card reader was originally requested by the Student Association Senate. It was approved for use by the Food and Housing Oversight Committee for this semester and has been fully operational since the Cof-feeHouse reopened this fall.

"It's a good service to offer the students," Food and Housing Director Marion Hicks said, adding that F&H in no way controls the CoffeeHouse as a result of the card reader. Students do not need to add money to their room and board plans for this service.

CoffeeHouse profits pay the costs of keeping and maintaining the card reader. There is a maintenance fee that equals 10 percent of the machine's value. Currently, for every dollar charged on the card reader, $0.025 goes to F&H.

All CoffeeHouse goods cost the same regardless of payment option chosen; the last set of price increases was made during the spring semester of 1996 and had nothing to do with the card reader's installation.

CoffeeHouse workers believe that the new card reader is a positive option. CoffeeHouse Publicity Manager Frank Thorne said, "Many students are frequently cash-poor or cash-broke, or consider meal points `cheaper' than cash. The presence of a card reader should make the Coffee-House more accessible to students, and this is our biggest goal."

CoffeeHouse General Manager Rusty Holleman agrees with Thorne.

"Now that we have this additional payment option, we hope students come by and use it."

"While there are still more people paying with cash, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this changes as more people find out that they can pay with their plan," Holleman said.

This item appeared in the News section of the September 20, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.

THRESHER ONLINE HOME PAGE The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu