THE BATTALION THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1978 Page 5 System takes time, but saves $ ID check breaks down By KATHRYN GOFF The check-in computers at cam- is dinning halls continue to break own, according to the person in iia charge of the computers, and sev- oe iMral students on the board plan. Yet, left^ Administrative Services Officer 10m Awbrey said that the com- ore j uters thwart cheaters, and track nealtime rush-periods for more ef- :ient meal preparation. The Validine Corporation- designed computers are similar in bncept to price-check computers fcund at the Memorial Student Cen ter Bookstore and at supermarkets, he master computer is connected several checking terminals, Aw- jbery said. Like the MSC price- |heckers, the meal-ticket checkers ■an price bands by means of elec- Ironic checking wands or glass dates. Campus meal tickets are taped on he back of student ID cards and onsist of price bands which are eally student identification num- lers translated into computerized lands. Theoretically, a valid meal Whl icket — one that is paid for, and ireviously unused for the current period — will be recognized nd recorded by the computer. A icnvalid meal ticket — one that is mpaid for, or previously used for e current meal period — will not scan” on the computer. In practice, Awbery said, some pparently valid cards are not ac- iK epted by the computers. Last fall, dien the computers were first in- talled, many students’ board rec- rds were “wiped out” by the com- mters, Awbrey said. That meant hat many students with valid meal ickets had to receive speical per- aission to enter the dining hall. —.ventually, the human readers at r m e check-in terminals had to exam- meal tickets At another instance, the com- s “jJ inters failed to “change over” their . chedules during the' weekend, Aw- ieseat uiingli SOCIll; te D; or rimei ie aj disisa prolfi prott! msec infiow >es. than nageiia j"! the [VARSITY 1 SHOP HAIR CARE FOR GUYS & GALS RI.DKI.N 301 PATRICIA 846-7401 bery said. Students were credited with eating three meals on Satur day, even though the meals were eaten on the Friday before. A major failure last semester was paid for by Validine Corporation, Awbrey said. Sophomore Robert Navarro, who eats at Sibisa, said he has noticed the frequent breakdowns. “They’ve been working fine until the past two weeks,” Navarro said. “Before that I can’t remember them working for more than a couple of days. ” Becki Kidd, senior, says she thinks the lines would go more quickly if the meal tickets were checked visually, not electronically. Her meal ticket failed to scan on at least two occasions. The reader sent her ID number to the office, and allowed Kidd to eat. Awbrey said that whenever a meal ticket doesn’t clear or a person claims to have lost an ID card, he allows the student to eat anyway. Ann Griffin, a checker at Sbisa, said that a meal ticket may fail to clear the computer because the price bands are damaged. ID cards that are laundered in a pants pocket often become limber, causing the meal ticket to warp. The tape attach ing the meal ticket to the ID card can easily be damaged through every day wear and tear, Griffin said, making the meal ticket incapa ble of clearing by the computer. Awbrey said cheating has de creased since the computers were installed. Fewer people claim to have lost their ID cards, because the computers can reveal that “lost” ID cards are still begin cleared through the computers, Awbrey said. Also, if the computer records bear evidence that a person’s meal ticket is being used by somebody else, then that particular meal ticket will be canceled, and another issued to the rightful ticket bearer, Awbrey said. f— Last year’s meal ticket, which consisted of a small gold seal, could easily be transferred from one ID card to another. The current meal ticket, with its fragile price bands, would not clear if transferred to- another card. Awbrey said that he has tried to “cheat” the computers by transfering meal tickets, but has failed. The black market for illegally applied meal tickets must have plunged as a result, Awbrey said. A dining hall employee overheard a conversation last year at a local Northgate store in which a young woman openly peddled illegally transferred meal tickets. The woman couldn’t sell meal tickets easily this year, Awbrey said, be cause stickers would be extremely difficult to remove without being damaged. Awbrey said he couldn’t tell just how many students have eaten il legally last year. Yet, according to a Validine survey, the national rate of illegal eating in dining halls is two percent, Awbrey said. He specu lated that illegal eating rate at Texas A&M could be lower because of the relative conservatism of the stu dents. About five students a day try to get into the dining halls illegally, but fail. Awbrey said that computers were installed to track meal-time flows so that food preparation can be timed to meet diner demand. Even though he couldn’t say whether the computers are saving money, he said that one area in which the com- f inters would be economically justi- iable is in designing efficiency re ports in meal preparation. This could be done from meal ticket clearance records. However, money the computer saves through more efficient food preparation or reduced cheating would not lower the price of board because the price of food and the minimum wage requirement are ris ing, Awbrey said. Awbrey said he would like to have more readers at the terminals, be cause the lines are still slow- moving. All four checking stalls are seldom open at once. Awbrey said he would also like to see the meal tickeprice band placed on front of the ID card because the readers would then take less time checking cards. Campus Activities Thursday CAM AC, Leonel Castillo, director of U.S. Immigration 6c Naturalization,7:30 p.m., 206 MSC National Eagle Scout Association, or ganizational meeting, 7:30 p.m., 701 Rud der Tower El Paso Hometown Club, 7:30 p.m., 203 MSC Snow Ski Club, 7:30 p.m., 701 Rudder Dance Arts Society, modem jazz, 7:30 p.m., 266 G. Rollie Modern Languages, “Baroque Con cert,” 8 p.m.. Rudder Theater Aggie Players, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” 8 p.m.. Rudder Forum Friday Baseball, Houston vs. Texas A&M, 3 p.m., Travis Park Aggie Players, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” 8 p.m.. Rudder Forum Aggie Cinema, “7 Percent Solution,” 8 p.m., Rudder Theater and “Slapshot,” 12 midnight. Rudder Auditorium Saturday Baseball, Houston vs. Texas A&M, 1 p.m., Travis Paik TAMU’s men’s soccer, SMU vs. A&M, 2 p. m., soccer field north of Olsen baseball stadium Aggie Players, “A Streetcar Named De sire,” 8 p.m.. Rudder Forum Military Ball, 8 p.m.. Exhibit Hall Aggie Cinema, “7 Percent Solution,” 8 p.m.. Rudder Auditorium Management Society, wine & cheese- party, 8 p.m., Treehouse Apartments party nxim Sunday Aggie Cinema, Comedy Orgy, 2 p.m.. Rudder Theater TAMU’s men’s soccer, UT vs. A&M, 2 p.m., soccer field north of Olsen baseball stadium > Oat researcher’s meeting to be at A&M March 20-22 About 100 persons are expected here March 20-22 for the American Oat Workers’ Conference, a series of meetings designed to improve oat production through discussion and dissemination of research informa tion. Dr. M.E. McDaniel, cereal crops breeding specialist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, said this is the first time the event has ever been held at Texas A6cM University. The oat researchers meet every four years. The first session begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Room 301 of Rud der Tower. Dr. Neville Clarke, Ex periment Station director, will give the welcome address. The Experi ment Station is the state’s agricul tural research agency. McDaniel, an associate professor in the A&M Soil and Crop Sciences Department, said first-day topics will cover management and eco nomic aspects of oat production, disease and insect control, breeding for resistance to environmental stress, altering physiological traits of plants and projecting an oat ideotype. Second-day discussions involve research needs on oat viruses, qual ity and future use, germplasm use and documentation, and coopera tion between state experiment sta tions and the Science and Education Administration. Distinguished service awards will be presented at 6:30 that evening during a banquet. Rounding out the final day’s ac tivities will be uniform oat nursery reports, a business meeting and re ports from visiting foreign scientists. McDaniel said the conference ends with a 1:30 p.m. tour of oat rust nurseries near Beeville. CORSAGES FOR THE MILITARY BALL 10% off on corsages with student I.D. The Green Jungle 700 E. University Drive • 846-3778 ^ (Across from Fed Mart) • Complete Floral Service ‘S'uitey travel 846-3773 Qbc) INTERSTATE CINEMA I arm || r UNIVERSITY SQUARE' CINEMA DAILY 7:35 9:35 H ELD|CINEMA OVER! I§ Lf>'-67i4 & 84 Vi * IICADCfllY milMIDS! including BEST PICTURE BEST ACTOR Paramount Ptcturw Ptevnt* A 1*41 Anuti Production Henry Winkler is "The One and Only" Kim Darby Gene Saks William Daniels IpgI Ljm-llIllIIIIlJUIIIIglllTlIIlllIl rt I fi'sebetttinp Christlaxo Growths '*^lLoursKCp> CHWe-aTYLA — SPECIAL — Vz Bar-B-Cued Chicken $1 O EC on butcher paper TONIGHT 4-8:30 P.M. GABE & WALKER’S Off ’th Wall Bar-B-Q ph: 846-7390 ’round the comer from Campus Theater 1 r au. tectfia StUjdcntXJbrLurn. J GRADUATING? j£i I .CJuSt a.lTi'/e.rT’CVa.ii-j'&rfva. ,.7~ l'f'\ II | ot .Sa&TiGj Wiidii 4$£j fctc.K&S; Starts ' A%> /A.e>F£ 1 We’ll be on campus next week to talk about careers r in energy. The energy challenge can lead to a rewarding career for you. Let us provide you with the opportunity. We’re researching new energy sources, initiating computer appli cations, seeking better ways to pro tect the environment, and utilizing innovative transmission techniques. If you’ll be graduating in one of the following areas, come discuss your future with us. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Contact your Placement Office for details, or write: Arizona Public Service Company P.O. Box 21666 Phoenix, Arizona 85036 An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F £oi GXUie tA±in-—l hUck- of LoupcTk-W^-Tm jest JfflS i.n>' Skyway Twin WEST THE GAUNTLET PLUS DEATH WISH EAST WOMEN FOR SALE PLUS TEENAGER FOR SALE Campus COLLEGE STATION 1 JOSEPH WAMBAUGH’S THE CHOIRBOYS ALL SEATS $1.50 BOOK MART CUSTOMERS ATTENTION! You can pick up your book or your money Monday, Feb. 27 - Mar. 3 8 a.m.-12, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Room 216 MSC 3715 EAST 21th STiueT (711) 84<»-fc7 II Town ? COUNTRY CtNtER CAYMAN Charters from 299 per person double occupancy 7 nights beach front hotel & air fare Cayman Islands, British West Indies Alternating departures from Dallas O Houston every Sunday, May ZS thru Aug. 17 Also includes: • Round trip jet transportation on Southern Airways DC-9 • Airport ground transportation to hotel • Savings up to $100 per person • Complimentary tennis • World’s most spectacular diving with optional packages at discount rates • Deluxe honeymoon package available • Plus much, much more! Call for reservations or information O ‘Seven/.etf SxcUey travel 846-3773 FOOTBALL BUSING SURVEY Please check the appropriate box. 1. Do you live off campus? 2. I would be willing to ride a special bus from near my residence to home football games if available. 3. I would be willing to pay for this service. 4. I would be willing to pay up to: (check the highest amount) yes □ l l yes l l yes □ □ □ no no no ,50c $1.50 □ yes □ $1.00 $2.00 no 5. I would be willing to use a special bus for midnight yell practice if available. 6. I would prefer to pay for this service at registration time when I pick up my football ticket only at game time OCSA is considering several different methods of financ ing and routing the buses, and the survey is designed to measure student opinion on these methods. The surveys can be found and returned, or you can use the one in the Batt, to all the shuttlebus stops, first floor of the MSC, and Room 216 in the MSC.