Student meal point balance now more accessible in food courts

After students complained about no longer being able to see their meal point balances on the displays of the new residence center cash registers, Residential Programs and Services has taken measures to improve the accessibility of students' remaining meal points.\nThough students still can't view their meal point balances on the registers' displays, dining area staff members have been better educated to find that information for students, said Bob Tegeler, an associate director of dining services for RPS. \nAfter the publication of a Sept. 7 Indiana Daily Student article concerning this problem, Tegeler said he went to the residence centers to make sure the meal point balances were showing up on the cashiers' screens. He said he also made sure the cashiers knew where to look for the balances on the screen so they could inform students of their balances.\n"We looked at it from a personnel perspective and did a better job of training," he said. "I just had to re-educate people."\nSophomore Ashley Dress, a resident of Teter Quad, said she still has to ask cashiers for her balance, an inconvenience she said might have contributed to the fact that she ran out of meal points weeks before Thanksgiving break.\n"I always have to ask them what my balance is, which has gotten me into trouble this year," she said. "Last year, I was able to look up at the screen and see how many points I had left. If I had seen that they were getting so low, I would have gone online and seen if I was going to be getting any more installments."\nTegeler said students are also allowed to look at the cashiers' screens or request a receipt in order to check their balances. Students can now check their balances online from a link on the RPS home page as well. \nTegeler said the Web site is "live," meaning it keeps an up-to-date record of students' transactions. In the past, the information on the site was one day old. So far, it seems to be helping students keep track of their points, and RPS has received no negative feedback, Tegeler said.\n"One of the student presidents told me that it's better than Facebook, so I think that's good," he said.\nRPS is still looking for ways to improve the site, however, and Tegeler said he welcomes students to e-mail RPS with questions or suggestions. Students should contact the directors via e-mail at hallsdin@indiana.edu.