13 Comments
Bollinger… you got some ‘splaining to do.
Does this mean students will be able to put beer on flex?
Confessions of a teenage beefcake.
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13 Comments
@iloveflex i use flex for several reasons:
1. i am out of cash
2. i have $100 on my debit card
3. i have $400 charged on my credit card
4. i have $200 on my flex
it’s just another form of money, albeit a low interest bearing one. aaaand sometimes i only carry my id and key if i think i won’t need money and then i end up going out accidentally and MY PARENTS COULD PAY FOR MY BEER AND THINK IT’S BOOKS.
sorry. but that’s the appeal.
@fgj but theres no difference. the money you deposit into a NO INTEREST flex account could just as easily be deposited into an interest bearing savings/checking account (citi’s got a good one for 5%!!!) that’s linked to a debit card. use that to withdraw cash and your parents still dont know what you used the case on…groceries or beer.
even charging groceries to a credit is fine since parents just see “Morton William’s blah blah” on the statement if they ever wanted to check. Credit cards are like short-term interest free loans (as long as you pay it back at the end of the month, it’s free money to borrow).
the only arguments that are seemingly valid are that some places are cash-only or require a minimum and that you dont carry other forms of payment on you but always have a id with you.
as a previous poster pointed out, who’s to say columbia won’t charge a fee just like the card processors that will keep amirs out of the flex program and make hamdel institute its minimum on flex purchases along with credit card purchases? as it is, these places dont list on campusfood because they dont want to deal with the extra hassle and would benefit only marginally at best. id assume they have the same reaction to being offered a flex swiper.
as for not carrying other payment on you. if you’re a guy, there’s really no reason to not have money on you since you should be carrying a wallet. i think that effectively takes care of most of that gender. most girls i know carry purses or bags with them and i dont see why you cant have money in that. so theres really no reason why you cant have money on you. if you dont carry it around then thats just dumb on your part.
@Wait I think you’re missing the point. The point is that you can just put money in your Flex card and bill it to your family. This is a fairly popular practice, and doesn’t involve actually asking your parents for money. It’s not that there’s no option for sharing with one’s parents, it’s that there’s no option for just taking their cash.
@Flex Off-campus flex: I don’t understand it.
Why is it that there’s no talk of having dining dollars off campus? At least then we would get the food tax-free.
Also, I’m not sure I see the incentive to use flex and pay full price when I can use a credit card and get something back (cash back, airline miles, “thank you points”, or whatnot). Using flex actually causes a negative return on the money, because instead of keeping your cash in an interest-bearing account, you give it to Columbia months in advance and don’t see a penny on it. Think about it: imagine you buy a sandwich at the end of December. If you could earn 0.4% simple interest (never mind compounding for now) on your money every month while it sits in savings, you have a 30-day grace period on your credit card, it pays you 1% cash back, and you stock up for the semester on Flex back in August, would you rather be paying 101.6% of the retail price of your sandwich in December, or 97% in January?
Even freshmen won’t be able to use up their mandatory meals and points this way.
What’s more, the whole “but it’s like free money from my parents” crowd could easily be opening joint accounts with their parents and spending their money that way. Existing credit accounts allow an additional cardholder, and most companies encourage it for obvious reasons.
If the concern is about area restaurants that are cash only for small purchases (Hamdel, Amir’s, I’m looking at you), I’m doubtful they will be any more accepting of Columbia card readers, which will probably also charge a small fee. (It would be foolish of Columbia not to charge a fee, because there would be a pretty strong incentive for restaurants to get the readers if there were actually a logical reason for the demand for off-campus flex in the first place). Then again, I’m not excited about it, so maybe the people who are so enthusiastic are just student council types looking to cite an accomplishment.
So whom exactly does this benefit? The only contingent I can think of are students whose parents don’t trust them enough to make them cardholders on their accounts because they are the very sort of people who surreptitiously buy Flex and make their unsuspecting parents pay for it in the first place. QED.
@Flex I realized immediately after talking about flexing so much and seeing the picture on this thread that Bwog missed a great opportunity for a pun. Sigh.
@yeah that was a weak analysis of an incredible and complex album.
@hilarious: Whether a Radiohead diehard, casual fan, or a first-time listener, the reaction should be the same: amazement.
(I just choked on my rice cake)
@Mordac Preventing people from doing things is an ongoing challenge. Columbia thing-prevention scientists have put forth a number of conjectures, but experiments are currently hampered by lack of space. Prevent hate, un-prevent expansion!
@Auugggghh One student told the President that it was time for the University to stop “placating us with statements or whatever silly things like that … [and to] re-evaluate these past initiatives because they clearly have not prevented the events of this month.”
but just ONE LINE EARLIER:
“Students are tired of hearing what’s been done in the past,” responded Sam Rennebohm, CC ’09 and a member of Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge.
aaand “Several student leaders said they were questioning their decision to come to Columbia”
Oh no! Now who will give us moronic Spec quotes?
@hey! bwog, if you’re going to use my picture, at least have the courtesy to get my permission first. i would have given you some other shots that are way more flattering to my pecs. besides i look like i only have 28 inch biceps here! such a bad pic
@yellerbelly COLUMBIA SPECTATOR IS DOWN. DO NOT WANT.
@shutup why dont you stop taking steroids and try being a real man, peoplewatchers. being all jacked up doesnt make up for your ugliness and your small penis.
@peoplewatchers at the gym are creepy as hell. Please don’t stare at me while I’m squatting. There’s a mirror. I can see you guys.