can lode Island;; tivealso^j be. The^ s season and ; game with' turkey day, k late thisy, ght as usual, s lost couni,- n Decertibf i Man is asM n their way uf :>uld you bei like Richie ■ Opie lookii The Battalion Community Section C Monday, August 28,1989 oints Plus avoids hassles f bad credit, hot checks Students, merchants enthused with debit system By Jennifer Diehl ecial to The Battalion l The Points Plus Corp. and Bryan- llege Station merchants offer stu dents an alternative to carrying cash id to the service charges of credit finis — a debit card with no ex- nse to the cardholder, accepted at nearly 100 off-campus locations. I The Points Plus debit card is the sue of a credit card with a magnetic jttrip across it. The magnetic strip, ihich contains the cardholder’s ac count information, is run through a ecial machine that is connected ith the Points Plus computer. Honey is immediately deducted om the cardholder’s account with |ach transaction. “It’s the natural evolution of fi- ancial management,” said Denise ulfer, marketing director for Points lus. Because credit is not readily avail- ble to everyone and check writing is a hassle, Fuller said, the card luch offers the convenience of both. Points Plus works like a credit c&rd, using the cardholder’s three-digit personal identification number as an access code. A minimum of $50 is necessary to open a Points Plus account. Thereaf ter, the cardholder may take the bal ance down to nothing with no pen alty. Points Plus has no minimum balance or monthly service charge. Cardholders may use Points Plus at restaurants, bars, dry cleaners and video stores, to name a few locations. More businesses are becoming in volved every day. A current list of merchants ac cepting Points Plus is kept at the Points Plus office in Bryan. The merchants display a sticker to let car dholders know that Points Plus is ac cepted. Points Plus offers tfiis free service to the customer by collecting a 3 percent fee per transactipn from the merchant. Merchants benefit from Points Plus because they know they always will receive their money, Fulfer said. There is no risk of bad checks or un paid credit cards; if there is not enough money in the Points Plus ac count, the machine will tell the mer chant immediately. Mark Conlee, manager of 3C Bar- B-Que, said he pays about the same fee per transaction to Points Plus as he pays for a credit card, but he doesn’t have to worry about bad credit. “I would rather take a Points Plus card than a check from a student,” Conlee said, since the plan elimi nates the risk of non-payment. Fulfer said the theory behind Points Plus is that cardholders will seek out businesses that accept the card. Conlee said some students have visited his restaurant simply be cause it accepts the card, and he ex pects card usage to increase with the return of the students in the fall. Joellen Jones, an A&M student, said she prefers using the Points Plus card to cash. “It’s a lot easier than having to See Points Plus/Page 7 Photo by Kathy Haveman Cargo Bay, located on Wellborn Road is cepting Points Plus debit cards as a form of one of several local businesses that are ac- payment. mentStnm tgle elimrecj nfPaddlesiJ d out H >ut | jpply their a rdswillbe;'i<| ipions inCiis oing to kill your roommate or landlord? Talk to OCC first particiDs" 3y Melissa Naumann 3f The Battalion Staff Living off campus can be a night- lare when the apartment manager, he toilet and the car all explode at nee. The Off Campus Center can iclp off campus students deal with hese and other problems so off :ampus life can be as enjoyable as x>ssible. Nancy Thompson, coordinator of 3CC, said the first obstacle most stu- lents face when living off campus is yfeg;$30,1 inding compatible roommates.The OCC offers a roommate referral iervice to expedite this process. Students who need can fill out cards that list housing preferences, habits and economic limits. The cards are kept in boxes designated for undergraduates, graduate students and international students so compatible roommates can be found as quickly as possible. each month in the summer, Thomp son said, and soon the OCC hopes to have a computerized system. “The times when students are looking for roommates are also the times when students are the busiest,” she said. tiled forM tournainenl )urnament ;es and pioci “I If we can get the two students in here, they can proba bly work things out. They usually just need to talk.” — Nancy Thompson, OCC coordinator ms: on: Pentmt’ js.'NCAM^ s. i asidenceW lependert ighlycomi 'mpetitive, tnd C will les withsli oneralMoli tors for s| iRec loud hampionsi Scfiedri illable ng on TM 5 p.m. e.'Free!!^ , Septet ition: Sports ft* ackStad# 111 r Peered h particii igestoftl^ nee. Part** i clubs. 8*1 ;e availaW o the M«* ns. Late* 1 the site o*l roommates The roommate refefral service is used by as many as 1,000 students Once roommates get settled, how ever, conflicts can arise, and the OCC offers a roommate counseling service to alleviate tension. Thomp son said they give students ideas on how to confront roommates. “If we can get the two students in here, they can probably work things out,” she said. “They usually just need to talk.” Other times, however, the solu tion needs to be more creative. “One woman came in once who was very finicky about the house be ing clean and I encouraged her to get some sort of house cleaning job one day a week,” Thompson said. “At first I was joking, but she did it and said it helped get out some of her housekeeping frustrations.” Thompson said the most common nGG/^ ^ *89 conflict between roommates involves overnight guests of the opposite sex. To avoid such problems from the beginning, she suggests that new roommates complete a roommate te nancy contract, provided by the OCC. The contract has space for each roommate to state how they feel on certain issues, such as food arrangements, cleaning responsibili ties, privacy, study times, smoking, drinking, drugs and overnight guests. If roommates communicate clearly from the beginning, dis agreements occur less frequently. Thompson said the OCC can help with resident/management conflicts as well. If the management refuses, for example, to make certain repairs p^G G /£> or unexpectedly raises the rent, stu dents can find out how to handle these situations to get the desired re sults. To inform students about an apartment complex or a property manager before they move in, the OCC has a resident reaction file. Students are encouraged to write down good and bad experiences, so others can evaluate their living op tions. Another service provided by the OCC to give students a look at off- campus life is the Off Campus Hous ing Fair held each spring where rep resentatives IVom everything from apartment complexes to utility com- See OCC/Page 7 THE DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS EXPRESSES SINCERE THANKS TO THE 1989 ORIENTATION LEADERS W e .v ’»» % % We recrealio* , | :reationl0| I validate WareFi^j ental ecreatiort s | iysicalEuse Suja Abraham Susie Czigany Joey Hlavenka John Nguyen Brian Shoemaker Meaghan Affleck Susan Davis DeeDee Hodges Gena Nivens Kimberly Sipe Allen Alschwede Wendy Davis Charles Hogan Steve Novotny - Exec Steve Skipworth Bobby Allen Krisi Dickerson Bret Holland Beth Noren Scott Sloter Michelle Allen Christine Dittfurth Doug Jenkins Susan Oakes Shannon Smith Michele Alread Timothy Doolen Byron Jobe Kriki Oliver Simon Smith - Exec Alison Alsheikh Jennifer Duffy Ginger Johnson Karen Orr Stephanie Smith Cathy Amos Jennifer Duncan Jennifer Johnson Brian Ortale Tim Smith Melinda Arnold David Duren Gretchen Kelly Anna Ortiz David Sparks Melinda Ashworth - Exec Jill Dyer Laura Keys Cindy Pahel Karen Steede Tim Baker Russell Engel Mary King Becky Parker Erin Steppe Shani Ball Raquel Escamilla Dan Kloke - Exec Sam Parks Kyle Stuckly Julie Baborek Anne Everett Peter Kuo Nikki Paysse Kurt Thomlinson Christine Basra Kristin Paver Lori Jo Learned Anita Perry David Timmerman Stephen Beck Deborah Floyd Shep Leblanc James Phipps Vu Tran Nancy Bell Gina Galloway Russell Lewis Lisa Pleasants Lisa Tsai Betsy Benson - Exec Kathryn Gamble Michelle Malone Brandi Plunkett Shannon Tucker Lana Blankenship Anthony Gansle Eleanor Manson - Exec Brian Pokluda Jamie Vallejo Rachel Boatright Craig Garrett Kris Maples Weston Porter Raymond Villareal Danny Boon Steve Gillaspy - Exec Terri Marian Damon Reeves Scott Votaw Reggie Branch Ronnie Gipson Shalome Marshall Donelle Reisinger Lisa Walker Patrick Bridges - Exec Cathy Gist Kim Martin Kaye Reiter Kevin Ward Jules Brieden Jeff Goree Laura Mathis - Exec Jan Remmert Kimberlea Ward - Exec Annette Brooks Leslie Grable Cindy Maunder Mike Richmond Pennee Ward Mitzi Burnside Tim Graham Janet Mayer Brian Rickmers Tim Washer Tauri Butler Tiffany Grant Matt McBurnett Kimberly Roberts Sandra Watson Chris Campbell Dion Graybeal - Exec Lisa McGill Tamara Robison Jeffrey Watt Joanna Cannon Angela Green Rhonda McKenzie Michelle Rocha Katy Watts Mary Carpenter Rick Hansen David Mendoza Tanya Rollins Penny Webster Karl Chiao Alicia Harris Janice Meyer Tammy Rooney Davi-Ann Weisman Allyson Clark Cheryl Harris Wesley Migura Tonja Roseberry Lea Aden Wheeler Sally Coale Margaret Heffner Layne Mitchell Susannah Russell Matt Whiteside - Exec Keith Cole James Hengst Lisa Mitchell Robert Sanchez Collette R. Williams Laura Collins Amy Herbold Bill Montgomery Jennifer Sauter Patrick Willingham Nicki Cook Patty Herr Maura Morgan Mark Schwausch Wendy Wills Tiffany Cook Ann Hicks Melanee Mowery Robbie Scichili Christi Wilson Suzy Cox Cristi Hicks Teri Mozisek Sheryl Scott Sheri Wilson Courtney Crawford Rhonda Hicks Gretchen Myers Brandee Selcer Chrissi Wittenburg Cathy Cunningham Nora Hildebrandt Will Nabors Stephen Shepard Carolyn Wolfe