Student ID offers many benefits

By Kelly Lucas
Summer Reporter

Incoming freshmen may be happy to know their student ID cards have other uses than just a form of identification.

Some of the benefits offered on the Purdue ID card is the availability of dining dollars and the Boiler Express debit option.

Dining dollars come in specific dollar amounts and can be used to buy items at the residence hall mini-marts, dining halls and grills.

"Dining dollars are great to use in the mini-marts and grills," said Kate Walker, marketing and communications coordinator for university residences. "A lot of students like to buy snacks with their dining dollars and the mini-marts and grills are open later than the dining halls and offer choices that may not be available in the dining halls. Variety is the main benefit."

What many students are unaware of is that dining dollars are automatically included with the purchase of a meal plan for each student living in a residence hall or Hilltop Apartments.

Dining dollars and the Boiler Express debit option were introduced in the fall of 1996 and were created to allow students to make good use of their meal plans.

With the purchase of a meal plan, each student has the option to obtain a certain number of meals per week, including the 20, 15, or 10 meal per week option. Students receive $125 in dining dollars a semester with the 20-meal plan, $175 a semester with the 15-meal plan, and $125 a semester with the 10-meal plan.

Student identification cards recognize electronically what type of meal plan students chooses. That means, every time a student uses dining dollars for a purchase, the account information will be electronically updated and the remaining balance will appear on the register.

Walker said dining dollars were created in response to student need. "It's a great feature added to the standard meal plan," said Walker.

The Boiler Express debit account is similar to dining dollars and is also available on the students' ID card. However, this feature allows the student to deposit money into an account and is not included in the cost of a meal plan like dining dollars. The Boiler Express debit account is much like a debit account at a bank.

The Boiler Express debit account can be used in residence hall mini-marts, grills and dining facilities as well as various vending machines across campus, dining facilities in the Union, copy machines and residence hall laundry facilities.

The Boiler Express account works very much like dining dollars and is available to all students and faculty of Purdue, not just those living in the residence halls.

Students and faculty can open a Boiler Express debit account in Room 130 of the Purdue Memorial Union. The applicant must fill out an application and make an initial deposit of at least $25. There are no fees, interest charges, monthly charges, or minimum balance requirements for this option. Also, at the end of the year, any remaining balances will roll onto the next academic year.

Information on dining dollars is available at the University Residence Directors' Office located in Smalley Center.