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 |
iysicalE<f l j
8:00 a#]
st is $25$!
r3
>use
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