2008 Woodie Awards
OneCard Expands Off Campus
Alexandra Dellerson
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Smith College OneCard, once used only for essentials like laundry and midnight snacks, now can be used for off-campus purchases. Inspired by schools such as Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Quinnipiac University and Holy Cross, the transition has been in the works for three years.
After settling all the details of the program, staff members began the arduous task of recruiting participating merchants in the local Northampton area. Staff members used a list obtained from the Northampton Chamber of Commerce to go door-to-door inviting stores to partake. After lots of hard work, downtown shops including CVS, Fitzwilly's, India House, Viva Fresh Pasta, Guild Art Center, Cha Cha Cha, Amanouz Café, and Quizno's decided to join in.
Many letters, appointments, and phone calls later, Smith now has several participants who are enthusiastic about having the possibility of the added customer base of Smithies. Some locations, like Cuisine de Soleil on Green Street, even requested on their own to be part of the system. The contracts are binding for one year, and if the system is successful, they will hopefully be renewed. Blackboard acts as the clearing house for all of the transactions, providing daily feedback on student activity for each individual shop. Merchants purchase the OneCard reader (like a credit card machine), which dials into the Blackboard system and then pays the vendors accordingly.
As for benefits, there is no minimum purchase, and like a debit card, there is always the ability to deactivate the card if lost or stolen. Also, students can track their spending, but can only spend as much as they have on the card.
College Relations spoke with town officials to check on the response from Northampton locals. Since early September, stores like Art Guild Center have heard only positive feedback. Because of the growing usage, the list of participants in the program is expected to augment.
After settling all the details of the program, staff members began the arduous task of recruiting participating merchants in the local Northampton area. Staff members used a list obtained from the Northampton Chamber of Commerce to go door-to-door inviting stores to partake. After lots of hard work, downtown shops including CVS, Fitzwilly's, India House, Viva Fresh Pasta, Guild Art Center, Cha Cha Cha, Amanouz Café, and Quizno's decided to join in.
Many letters, appointments, and phone calls later, Smith now has several participants who are enthusiastic about having the possibility of the added customer base of Smithies. Some locations, like Cuisine de Soleil on Green Street, even requested on their own to be part of the system. The contracts are binding for one year, and if the system is successful, they will hopefully be renewed. Blackboard acts as the clearing house for all of the transactions, providing daily feedback on student activity for each individual shop. Merchants purchase the OneCard reader (like a credit card machine), which dials into the Blackboard system and then pays the vendors accordingly.
As for benefits, there is no minimum purchase, and like a debit card, there is always the ability to deactivate the card if lost or stolen. Also, students can track their spending, but can only spend as much as they have on the card.
College Relations spoke with town officials to check on the response from Northampton locals. Since early September, stores like Art Guild Center have heard only positive feedback. Because of the growing usage, the list of participants in the program is expected to augment.