Students said they were confused and frustrated by the murky distinction between Points Plus and Dining Dollars, expressing relief about Dining Services' recent decision to integrate the two systems.
"I think it's long overdue," senior Justin Oldfield said.
Dining Services announced Tuesday that it would conflate Dining Dollars and Points Plus, each of which allows students to charge certain university-related expenses on their identification cards, into one multi-purpose account called JumboCash. The change will take effect next semester.
"I wish I were sticking around to use the JumboCash thing," Oldfield said.
Some students said they had never completely figured out the difference between Dining Dollars, which can buy food at eateries on and off campus, and Points Plus, which can be used for on-campus dining and other expenses, such as paying for laundry loads and library dues.
"I don't really understand the difference ... I don't understand why they need to be different," sophomore Andrew Glasrud said.
Brian McLoone, a junior, ran into problems adding money to his ID card last year. "I added something one time and then I realized I could only use it for some very specific purpose," he said.
Sophomore Lauren Herstik said she has never fully comprehended the distinction between Dining Dollars and Points Plus. "I know they're different but I can never understand the difference," she said. "Every time I try to do my laundry at the end of the semester, I don't know what it is but I have no money ... I know I put money on there but I have no idea where it goes."
Dining Services also announced Tuesday that it would no longer require students to purchase a set number of Dining Dollars with their meal plans. Starting next semester, students will buy a certain number of meals and then decide independently how much money to add to their JumboCash accounts.
This move is meant to alleviate the frequent problem students face after using either all of their meals or all their points before the end of the semester. Often, sophomores on the 160-meal plan prefer to use Dining Dollars, of which they have 600. They frequently deplete these well before their meals.
"I have 12 points left," Glasrud said, referring to his Dining Dollars. "I went through my points pretty quickly. I like ordering food and I like getting energy drinks on the way to class." Glasrud said he still has about 40 meals left.
Last year, McLoone was on the meal plan with 160 meals and 600 Dining Dollars. He said he ran out of Dining Dollars early. "It was a hassle," he said. He would have added more to his account, "if I could have." With JumboCash, students can do this.
Freshman Sarah Nash will have this option. "I think next year I probably won't be eating as much at the dining hall so I'll use more points," she said. Nash will consider adding more than $600 worth of JumboCash to her account, she said.
