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Students can now officially make purchases with their OneCards off-campus. After a year of discussion between University administrators and businesses in Towson, President Robert Caret joined Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith to usher in the partnership at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Towson Tuesday. About 2,200 students have already registered for the program.

"We've done a lot of work at Towson to get where we are…I'm confident there are going to be more leaps and bounds," Caret said. "We're very excited about the OneCard…I think it's going to be a bright future for the University and the community." --back to top

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The advantage to using this program compared to a regular bank card is that Marauder Gold does not allow students to overdraw their account; they can only spend as much as they have in their account this helps students avoid high fees from a bank. Also since the student’s photo is on the front of the card, the probability of identity theft is less likely”

“This is a good opportunity to get college students as customers that might not have been customers otherwise,” said Mike Fisher, an employee of Two Cousins. --back to top

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After months of sorting out electronic and banking issues, the University hopes to launch the OneCard for off-campus use by the end of March. Towson President Robert Caret first mentioned taking the OneCard off campus at his Fall Address in September. To incorporate the new feature, Towson contracted with Off-Campus Advantage, the same organization that handles the current OneCard contract. He said the University has considered many possible off-campus locations and is planning a survey to find out other locations where students would be interested in using their card.

"We worked with the Towson Chamber of Commerce and got a list of their businesses and shared that with Off-Campus Advantage," Oster said. --back to top

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If you are sick of the same old food options on campus, you won’t have to worry much longer. ONU as recently started to work with a group called Off-Campus Advantage to give students more choices in what they can eat. With this program, different vendors in Ada will be contacted about accepting students’ polar cards as payment.

Since students are using their Ohio Northern identification cards the university has restrictions on what students may purchase. Students are not permitted to buy alcohol, tobacco products or lottery tickets with their polar cards.

After hearing about the program, Bursar Amber Carpenter said “We’ve got to do this!” --back to top

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Word on the Street is a weekly column based on student responses. It is composed of the first students who are randomly approached by a Towerlight photographer.

“Taco Bell. The food is delicious and I wish I could use my OneCard to satisfy my cravings.”

“Chipotle, because everyone on campus likes Chipotle.”

“Bill Bateman’s. It’s in the math building so it’s annoying that I can’t go there and pay with my One Card.” --back to top

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Every year the UMass Pass office looks for new ways to increase the functionality of the UMass Pass in order to better serve the UMass Dartmouth community. According to Stephanie Gibson, the campus student representative for Off-Campus Advantage, “This year [the UMass Pass office has] upgraded POS terminals, added a rewards program, created a new informational website and added many off-campus businesses to the program.” Off-Campus Advantage is a company through which any member of the UMass Dartmouth community can use the “general account” on their UMass Pass to purchase goods off-campus.

Gibson says that she uses her UMass Pass to buy things off-campus at least two to three times each week. She uses it to get coffee at Dunkin Donuts or when she goes out with her friends. She uses it on-campus every day, either to get lunch at the Commuter Café or to buy things at the Campus Store. She reminds, “[Off-Campus Advantage] is safe, secure, and a great alternative for a credit card since there is no chance of accruing debt… UMass Pass becomes your complete passport to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. There is no need to carry around cash, checks, ATM cards, and credit cards.” --back to top

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Students will soon to be able to use their cards to make purchases at select food spots off campus by the end of October, a school official said. Joeseph Merkle, dean of student affairs, and Dr. Frank Mussano, dean of administrative services, said they are enthusiastic about providing students with an alternative dining option. The decision was made to use the Off-Campus Advantage software package created by CBORD, also the creator of the software technology used in the dining outlets on-campus.

“It’s a scenario where everyone stands to benefit—the student, the vendors, and the college,” Mussano said --back to top

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A Big Red Dollar is just as good as the green ones in some Bowling Green stores. Western students can now use their Big Red Dollars to purchase items such as food and school supplies in stores that have installed Big Red Card readers. Students will swipe the Big Red Card just as they would on campus, said ID Center Director Gary Meszaros.

The system will be compatible with the Big Red Cards students currently have, he said. --back to top

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