Denison Dollars limited to the hill
Studens, Granville business owners discuss possible expansion of swipe cards
Bree Tracey
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Up Hill, Down Hill
Denison Dollars - the wad of money our parents usually load onto our ID cards at the beginning of each semester - are a great thing to have around campus. They're good in the Slayter Pit, the Bandersnatch, the bookstore, vending machines and laundry machines in the dorms, to name just a few places.
But their use is limited to the hill.
At many other universities, even around the state of Ohio, the equivalent of Denison Dollars can be used at surrounding businesses and restaurants. Students can forget about carrying cash or credit cards, which can be easy to lose and easier to steal.
Denison students have been talking about using Denison Dollars in Granville for a while, according to senior Mckinlaye Harkavy, former vice president of DCGA.
She said the subject was brought up to the senate about three years ago.
"There wasn't a resolution," Harkavy said. "The [Granville] Chamber of Commerce wouldn't let it happen."
Joe Warmke, the manager of the Denison bookstore and business services, said the he's approached the subject before, also.
"We talked about it over the years," Warmke said.. "It's just not a practical matter."
He said that with a student population of Denison's size with no summer school program, it would take years for Granville business owners to make up for the cost of installing the swipe card systems in their stores.
"It can cost anywhere between one to three thousand dollars for a reader," Warmke stated.
Harkavy said she agreed that this was one of the problems with the idea.
"It's never going to happen, because it's too expensive," said Harkavy.
Students even tried asking for discounts at businesses around the village.
Senior Lauren Schwartz was also on DCGA the year this issue was brought up.
The major factor contributing to the systems not being installed was, "the cost in putting in actual systems," Schwartz said.
She also mentioned that students at Ohio State University are allowed to use their swipe cards at nearby restaurants and shops, but "it's a completely different market," she said.
But their use is limited to the hill.
At many other universities, even around the state of Ohio, the equivalent of Denison Dollars can be used at surrounding businesses and restaurants. Students can forget about carrying cash or credit cards, which can be easy to lose and easier to steal.
Denison students have been talking about using Denison Dollars in Granville for a while, according to senior Mckinlaye Harkavy, former vice president of DCGA.
She said the subject was brought up to the senate about three years ago.
"There wasn't a resolution," Harkavy said. "The [Granville] Chamber of Commerce wouldn't let it happen."
Joe Warmke, the manager of the Denison bookstore and business services, said the he's approached the subject before, also.
"We talked about it over the years," Warmke said.. "It's just not a practical matter."
He said that with a student population of Denison's size with no summer school program, it would take years for Granville business owners to make up for the cost of installing the swipe card systems in their stores.
"It can cost anywhere between one to three thousand dollars for a reader," Warmke stated.
Harkavy said she agreed that this was one of the problems with the idea.
"It's never going to happen, because it's too expensive," said Harkavy.
Students even tried asking for discounts at businesses around the village.
Senior Lauren Schwartz was also on DCGA the year this issue was brought up.
The major factor contributing to the systems not being installed was, "the cost in putting in actual systems," Schwartz said.
She also mentioned that students at Ohio State University are allowed to use their swipe cards at nearby restaurants and shops, but "it's a completely different market," she said.
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