The UCF smart card will no longer be accepted by 27 vendors, from Pita Pit to CB&S Bookstore, when card services terminates their off-campus program on May 1, 2009.
Silver Mine Subs owner Michael Cuccarese received his letter in July, informing him that the smart card's off-campus program was ending.
The letter states that smart cards will no longer be accepted in May, and that off-campus vendors can convert the card readers they purchased for the program into normal credit card readers.
"You're taking the choices students using smart cards have now, and cutting them in half," Cuccarese said.
Cuccarese is concerned UCF's decision makers haven't considered students living off campus, or students using their smart card during UCF's summer terms and Christmas.
Students in off-campus housing get vendors like Silver Mine to deliver to them, and many on campus vendors are barely open for business during the summer, while the McDonald's across the street from campus can accept a smart card year round.
T.G.I. Friday's in Watherford Lakes general manager Tim Breen sees the end of off campus smart card sales having the biggest effect on his business out of the vendor's interviewed.
"When school is in session, we may do an average of five hundred dollars a day on smart card purchases," Breen said, "A big chunk of my businesses."
Breen said that part of the reason for the smart card's success in his Waterford Lakes restaurant is that an estimated 90 percent of his employees are UCF students.
Vendor Michael Cuccarese said smart card's off-campus termination won't effect his sales significantly, but he wondered if CB&S's book sales might change if students were suddenly, only able to use their smart card's to buy from on-campus bookstores.
"I'd be surprised if we're doing more than 2 percent of sales on student smart cards," CB&S manager John Meyer said. "[When off-campus smart card ends] I don't think we would lose those sales, even then."
Papa John's was one of the few on-campus vendors accepting smart card that was open during the end of summer.
Papa John's manager, Ryan Chris, echoed off-campus vendors Cuccarese and Meyer, in saying smart card purchases made up such a small percentage of his store's business, that they didn't really effect sales one way or the other.
Cuccarese said that part of UCF's reasoning behind killing the off-campus program might have been to drive smart card purchases toward UCF's new businesses on the north end of campus.
UCF spokesman Grant Heston said that budget cuts were not behind the decision to end the off-campus program.
Off-campus vendors have been accepting the smart card for close to three years.
The off-campus program was started when UCF had less vendors than it does now.
Providing students with vendor options for their own convenience was the purpose of starting the off-campus program.
It is still the concern of UCF, and the effected off-campus vendors.
But while UCF believes that students now have enough vendor options on-campus to terminate the off-campus program, some off-campus vendors would like to see it stay, or they think UCF is limiting students' options.
For select on- and off-campus businesses the termination on May 1 isn't anticipated to make much of a ripple in their sales.
UCF pays a certain percentage per smart card sale transactions to the card companies, but the business owners accepting the smart card pay a portion of that percentage to help cover that cost.
Grant Heston said UCF's Business Office made the decision to end the off-campus program after a six month review process, when it then gave off-campus vendors the 10-month notice that the program was ending.
"The Business Office was pleased with the program's progress, and ready to move in a new direction," Heston said.
UCF's card services also recently merged purse three with purse two in May.
Their Web site's FAQ says this is due to the smartcard's declining debit program.
Student Government Association President Logan Berkowitz said he received word that the smart card's off-campus program was ending via e-mail.
He said it was a little discouraging that he wasn't brought to the table before a decision was made.
Berkowitz said that, that was abnormal in his relationship with UCF's decision makers.
Grant Heston said that UCF works closely with Student Government leaders and values their input.
"We've spoken with SGA about this issue and understand their concerns," Heston said.
Between now and May 1, Berkowitz said that he will be working to ensure the voice of the student body is heard.
"I wouldn't consider [the off campus program] dead at this point," Berkowitz said.
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