Student government is opening more avenues for the UCard by providing online access to student accounts and expanding UCard purchase availability.
UCard Director Eric Hu said the new online account service will provide “easy access to deposit money” for students. Students can go online and transfer funds from their bank account to their UCard account.
Hu says that students can opt to share their UCard account with their parents or guardians.
Parents can log in and monitor spending as well as deposit money onto the student’s account.
Parents may find comfort knowing that “the stores we pick don’t sell alcohol,” Hu said. The Associated Students of the University of Utah estimates this project to be ready in August.
More departments on campus should be able to support UCard spending as well.
Hu says that ASUU is pushing for all campus departments to have UCard access, which includes UCard ATMs and purchase points.
“We want to see it used for everything, from laundry to Coke machines,” Hu said.
The UCard expansion should occur sometime during Spring Semester, Hu said.
Cardholders currently are able to use the UCard at locations such as the Union and campus libraries for food and printouts.
“I use the card inside the library only,” physics graduate student Abdelkhalek Farid said.
Freshman Camela Willden said that she uses her UCard “so I can print out paper and get into my dorm building.”
Hu wants to make students aware of more varied ways of spending so that students will use the card everywhere on and off campus.
“We want to have (UCard payment acceptance) at all university events,” Hu said.
ASUU is also in the process of creating a wireless UCard payment system that allows UCard point of sale machines the ability to work anywhere without phone line access. This makes UCard spending available anywhere the U is hosting events.
Along with the new online depositing options, UCard depositing machines scattered around campus allow cardholders to insert cash for UCard credit. The card owner can debit money at UCard points of sale on and off campus with their card.