The Justice

Media Credit: Photo by Danielle Schivek

Library and Technology Services is considering its options for an online WhoCash payment system that would enable students to add to their accounts online using their credit cards, an LTS administrator said.

The idea was first broached by the Student Union Senate in January after Jason Gray '10, now the Union's director of Union affairs, received a suggestion from a student during his campaign for Massell Quad senator.

Although Union officials expressed hope last semester that a system might be in place by the fall, Anne Livermore, LTS assistant director for student technical services, said the plan is still in its early stages.

LTS is discussing several options, Livermore said. The University could use a system from an outside company, write its own program or adapt the current campus card system operated by CBORD, a contractor specializing in cashless card systems, Livermore said.

LTS is looking for a system that will fulfill several requirements. Ideally, students would be able to log in with their UNet usernames, although not all companies allow for such integration, Livermore said. One company would provide a more intricate interface and a backlog of transactions, features missing from the current setup, she said.

The payment system "could be a Honda," Livermore said. "It doesn't have to be a Mercedes."

LTS would also prefer that family members have limited access to student accounts. Parents could add money to an account but should be kept from monitoring students' card activity, Livermore said. Students "don't want Mom and Dad walking through their C-store purchases," she said.

Questions about the funding of the project have yet to be answered, said Mark Collins, vice president of campus operations. He said a credit card payment system would be a valuable tool for the Brandeis community.

"I think it is a something that could provide more convenience to students, faculty and staff," he said.

Collins said he could not speculate on when a credit card WhoCash service might be implemented.

Richard Dovidio, director of the Campus Card Office, declined to comment.

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