We've all been there: rooting through old wallets, searching on our hands and knees under the bed, even — as in one unfortunate editorial board member's case — buying unneeded assorted items from the East Side Mini Mart, just to get the right combination of quarters for laundry because the Card Value Center machines are broken yet again. For Ruth's sake, there's an Internet meme about how awful the CVC machines are.
This all is by way of expressing how thrilled we are that Brown has decided to update its vending infrastructure and combine the infernal vending stripe with declining balance in a system called Bear Bucks. Even more promising is that the Undergraduate Council of Students is currently discussing a proposal that would allow Bear Bucks to be used at restaurants and stores on Thayer Street, The Herald reported last week.
Yes, you read that correctly — money your parents think you're spending on textbooks may soon be able to fuel your late-night Chipotle run. Joking aside, we approve wholeheartedly of the new Bear Bucks initiative. Not only is it convenient for students, but it will increase public safety by reducing the need for students to carry cash or credit cards.
While students may not care about whether they hand a credit card or their Brown ID to the cashier at Antonio's, the personal safety benefits of being able to carry only your Brown ID instead of cash or credit and debit cards are undeniable. Last week, we spoke out about the recent spike in College Hill crime and possible ways to circumvent it. The Bear Bucks on Thayer initiative, though obviously not a means of preventing crime, protects students from having their assets stolen.
If students know they can stay out late and only bring their personal ID with them without being denied their midnight snack, they will be far less likely to carry other forms of money on their persons. Though hopefully incidents of mugging and assault will remain few and far between, student possessions would be safer under this plan regardless.
We are concerned, however, that this new addition to the Bear Bucks plan could cause friction with MunchCard, last semester's innovation that allows Brown students to load a card with money to get discounts at select Thayer Street restaurants. MunchCard director Benjamin Vishny '14 told The Herald, "If (the University) had had a system where Bear Bucks had been accepted at the restaurants, we wouldn't have started MunchCard."
Vishny has stated that he doesn't think MunchCard or Bear Bucks will compete with the current Dining Services meal plans — but what about the competition between the two off-campus options? Both a potentially expanded Bear Bucks program and the existing MunchCard offer vast benefits to students and local businesses. Ideally, they will find a way to coexist, but as the plan stands now, it is also easy to see the two come into conflict.
The idea of University money being usable at nearby restaurants is appealing, and the fact that it is a plan already in existence at other universities around the country is a testament to its practical viability. We support the plan in essence, but we urge UCS and the University to ensure that, as it goes forward, it works to create a Bear Bucks plan that is compatible with all the existing options.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
