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Photo by Jill Hazel / The Tiger |
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SWIPE THE STRIPE: By the end of this semester, students will likely be able to use their Tigerstripe cards in a variety of off-campus locations. |
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By Naylor Brownell / The Tiger
Originally published in The Tiger (9-3-2004).
Reprinted with permission.
That little piece of plastic that every Clemson student carries around may soon grow to be even more powerful.
In the very near future, the Tiger 1 Card may be used to make off-campus purchases.
"I'm really excited," said Steve Robbins, Director of Information Technology Services for Clemson. "We can finally improve on the idea and the service."
Robbins is optimistic that by the end of the semester, students may be able to use their Tigerstripe accounts in some businesses downtown. Eventually, he envisions students using their cards to satisfy most of their purchasing needs.
Begun in the early '90s, the Tiger 1 Card program gives students the privileges to make purchases on nearly every on-campus retail store and pay for services like laundry or meal plans.
According to Robbins, the idea of using Tigerstripe downtown has been in existence as long as the program itself; the cost-effectiveness always eliminated it as an option.
The wheels started to turn on August 16, when the administrative board gave the approval for the Tigerstripe program to extend off-campus.
"Even that day we began the legwork to begin procurement," said Robbins. He added that the program should be in place about 12 weeks from the August date.
From the opening days of the project, Robbins and his team have been in continuous discussions with Aramark and Barnes and Noble, who provide food and run the bookstore, respectively.
Robbins admits that the corporations "have expressed concerns."
For instance, retailers downtown may be more competitive with the on-campus bookstore once they are allowed to accept Tigerstripe. In that same vein, any food provider downtown would compete with Aramark's campus monopoly.
"We have certainly listened to those concerns," said Robbins, "and we will try to take them into consideration."
He added that statistics have shown that at other schools where an off-campus plan is offered, overall use of that universities Tigerstripe equivalent has increased. On-campus merchants, like Aramark, could cash in on the overall increase in Tiger 1 Card usage, explained Robbins.
A slight drop in usage at Aramark facilities would be expected if students could use their cards off-campus, he said. "But after a while you don't buy things because they're new, you buy them based on convenience," explained Robbins. Aramark's on-campus eateries would be more convenient for on-campus students. Also, these locations are tax-free for students who use their Tigerstripe rather than credit cards or cash, an option that would not necessarily be available at downtown eateries.
In addition, Robbins also noted that students would factor in quality of product and price when choosing a particular retailer.
Competition the plan would face downtown includes the Off-Campus Meal Plan, offered by a Pennsylvania-based company. The program offers discounts for almost 20 area restaurants for members who pay a $400 minimum fee.
Robbins hoped that eventually merchants would participate in discount programs and incentive specials to encourage students to use their Tigerstripes, but those ideas are still in concept, as the program has not fully commenced.
Robbins had no specific retailers downtown that have already signed on to the project, but he has talked to a few and remains optimistic that the idea will be popular. He said that there was strong interest in students using Tigerstripe at TD's of Clemson, but TD's employees declined any consideration thus far.
Another location students have expressed interest in using their Tigerstripe accounts is the Clemson Bi-Lo on Highway 93. "Take the individual who lives at Lightsey Bridge II for example," said Robbins, "Where does he shop? They don't shop on campus. Maybe they don't have a meal plan. So they probably go to Bi-Lo, Winn-Dixie, Ingles. This would just be another option for them."
Stacy Fiorentini, a sophomore in Biochemistry and Lightsey Bridge resident, thought that Tigerstripe access at Bi-Lo would really benefit students. "I don't really use my (Commuter 50) meal plan to begin with," she said, "but I would use it less, just because it's more convenient to go buy groceries."
Freshman Engineering major Kevin Smith said that if he could use his Tigerstripe downtown, he may even go as far as to change his meal plan. "I have unlimited," he explained, "but I'd probably get the 15 plus and go downtown on weekends."
An important distinction to make, and one that Robbins stressed, was that Tigerstripe and Paw Points are two different programs. Paw Points are an option provided by Aramark, Clemson's food provider, as an addition to meal plans; Tigerstripe is a limited debit line provided by the Tiger 1 Card service. No withdrawals from the line can be allowed.
"We're not a bank account," he said, "and we're not a substitute for a bank account."
Still, Tigerstripe is a service provided to every cardholder at the University — about 15,000 individuals this semester.
In addition to grocery stores and restaurants, Robbins sees a wide variety of other retailers that could come aboard the off-campus project — the new Central Wal-Mart, the Student Bookstore, the various apparel stores like Judge Keller's and the Fashion Shack, the Hallmark, the Campus Copy Shop, area gas stations and convenience stores and even the Astro have all been considered as Tigerstripe locations.
"We do not see any reason why any of these places could not be on the list," asserted Robbins.
Another Lightsey resident, sophomore psychology major Katherine Bonner was encouraged to hear that Tigerstripe might move downtown. "It'll be nice to have restaurants other than Chili's to go to," she commented.
Bonner does not have a meal plan, and usually cooks in her apartment. Her parents contribute to her Tigerstripe account, but she was still disappointed in her purchasing options.
Another reason some students support off-campus Tigerstripe access is price.
"Downtown is just cheaper," said Fiorentini. "The only reason I ever bought stuff at the bookstore was because it was money not out of my pocket. They're overpriced," added Bonner.
In order for students to use their Tiger 1 Cards downtown, the merchants still have to approve the idea, of course.
The businesses would have to be responsible for new registers or supplemental equipment that would accept the Tigerstripe accounts as well as the normal credit and debit cards.
Papa John's pizza downtown already accepts Tigerstripe; the restaurant has a contract through Aramark, explained manager Julia Dudley. According to Dudley, the pizza parlor started accepting student payment last academic year.
Students can call in and give their C.U.I.D. numbers, then present the delivery person with their I.D. as proof. Papa John's would then give their receipts to Aramark, who would take a small cut and then reimburse the restaurant. Students would have funds deducted just as if they had used their Tiger 1 Card at the East Side Food Court or other Aramark eatery; Paw Points would be used first, then Tigerstripe money.
Robbins' off-campus plan would employ a third party who would facilitate the payment process. It would draw funds from a separate University bank account to pay the merchants.
Revenue earned by the University from the plan would stay within the Tiger 1 Card office, paying for system maintenance and costs associated with the move off-campus.
Robbins was excited that the process is moving forward so well. A student survey will be taken soon, and the program may be in place by December, completed by the time students return in the Spring.
"At the end of the semester we can finally see the fruits of our labor," he said.
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