In 2003, a study conducted by the New York economic research firm Appleseed estimated that Tufts and the seven other research universities in the metropolitan Boston area pump billions of dollars into the economy - and provide more jobs than does the city's financial services industry.
According to the study, "Engines of Economic Growth," the 74,000 undergraduates and 44,300 graduate students that attended those eight universities in 2000 spent approximately $850 million on food, entertainment, transportation and other services.
Furthermore, the friends, family and visiting researchers that passed through the various campuses infused an additional $250 million into the local economy in 2000. In fact, University President Lawrence Bacow claimed in a 2003 speech to the Boston Chamber of Commerce that the commencement ceremonies of the eight area institutions attract more people to Boston than the Super Bowl does to its host city.
Additionally, the study found that the universities infused $3.9 billion into the economy in the form of payrolls, construction and purchasing. If the economic multiplier of spending is taken into account, the total spending of the institutions and their students and visitors resulted in a $7 billion effect on the region in 2000.
Video store Hollywood Express, located on Elm Street in Davis Square, is one establishment that has noticed the contribution Tufts students have made to sales in the area. "Tufts students definitely have a presence here; it's great," said Kym Foley, manager of the store.
This presence, coupled with the proximity of Tufts' campus to the store, led to Hollywood Express' offer of a Tufts-specific discount. "We offer $1-off rentals when students show their Tufts ID," Foley said. "We started this when this location opened in November 2003 to build business, since Tufts is just around the corner. However, we never pushed the discount until the past couple of months, since the beginning of this semester."
Just up Elm Street is Xtreme Tanning - another business that benefits from the swarms of Tufts students flooding Davis Square in September. "When school is back in session, we notice business picks up significantly," said David Vanecia, owner and manager of the salon.
Like Hollywood Express, the salon offers discounts for Tufts students. "We know they frequent the square, and knowing that students tend to have tight budgets - having gone to school myself and having felt the same way - we try to help them out," Vanecia said. "We also try to help out Tufts students because they tend to be good clientele; they have good behavior."
Vanecia added that the salon's emphasis on education and tanning responsibility also makes Tufts students good targets for business. "It's a clich?©¬ but an educated customer really is the best customer," he said.
Some students are still in the dark about "Jumbo" discounts, though. "I've never received any discounts for being a Tufts student, although I think that would be a great idea," junior Nick Wong said.
Wong, who visits nearby establishments three or four times a week, claims that he goes "to local restaurants more than I go to shops - those being either Anna's [Tacqueria] or Andrea's [Pizza] - obviously for food. I also go to Foodmaster once every two weeks or so for groceries."
Senior Caroline Decker also patronizes local restaurants when she isn't inclined to cook. "I go to local businesses about seven to ten times a week," Decker said. "I live off-campus on Boston [Avenue], and it's much easier to pick up a sandwich or a salad there."
"Also, I enjoy renting movies and going out around Tufts," added Decker, who estimates that she spends approximately $50 per week in local shops. Like Wong, Decker is unaware of any discounts available to Tufts students.
Hungry Jumbos often frequent Espresso Pizza, another of the establishments on Boston Avenue. Though the restaurant's owner Anthony Salvato said that Tufts students like Decker make up "a good part of our business," he finds that the clientele is actually a mix of students and locals.
"We had big business all summer long from the family neighborhood - it's a very steady time of year," he said.
Espresso is one of the restaurants participating in the University's Meals On Points (MOPs) program. Though it might seem that the ability to use points would lead to increased business from students, Salvato considers the program to often be more trouble than it's worth.
"I really don't like the MOPs program. We were doing more business without it," said Salvato, pointing out that Tufts takes 15 percent of sales made using points.
Salvato said that other problems arise when students are allowed to use points as opposed to cash or credit. "Kids were using their credit cards before and now they just use their points," he said. "Also, kids would call earlier. The school controls [the program] and says kids can't use their points until after seven, so they wait and we get a large influx of orders around seven. It ties us up."
Nick's House of Pizza, like Espresso, is an Italian restaurant on Boston Avenue. But unlike Espresso, Nick's does not participate in the MOPs program. Even though Jumbos cannot pay in points at Nick's, John Kermanidis, who works at the restaurant, estimated that "maybe between 15 to 20 percent of business is Tufts students."
"We'd be busier if we had points, but the owner doesn't want it," said Kermanidis, who agreed with Salvato that the program has its flaws. "You give a large percentage to Tufts, and we'd be working on volume only, which can be good but it's also a headache."
Despite not being on the MOPS system, Kermanidis finds that Tufts students still make an impact on their business. "Kids definitely order, without a doubt. We make lots of deliveries," he said.<$>
