Spending money at the University is delightfully easy, thanks to the myriad options available to students wishing to dish out the dough.
Two of these payment methods, Cavalier Advantage and Student Charge, often involve the parental factor, which is part of what makes them attractive to students.
Second-year College student Adam Crist said he uses Cavalier Advantage about six times a week, typically for laundry and food. Crist and his parents each contribute half of his Cav Advantage total, amounting to somewhere near $150 per semester. He said his parents "normally don't ask" where his Cav Advantage funds go, but then again, he doesn't tend to abuse them.
Other students, such as third-year College student Margaret Mountjoy, also use Cav Advantage frequently but supply the money on their own.
Mountjoy was especially enthusiastic about using this payment method for parking in the Central Grounds Parking Garage, noting the Cav Advantage discount.
"I love it!" she said.
But Student Charge -- now that's a magical payment alternative. Instead of pulling money out of a fixed pool as with Cav Advantage, Student Charge is just plain credit. And you don't even need a separate card!
So are University students sticking to the honor code when they defer the bill to their permanent addresses?
According to Crist, the answer is yes. He said he uses Student Charge primarily for buying books, and his parents willingly cover the tab.
Only rarely does Crist betray his parents' trust.
"Sometimes I'll throw in toothpaste," he said.
Digressions like these they'll excuse, but his parents aren't as forgiving when the bill catches them by surprise, Crist said.
"There was one instance where I charged $700 for books and forgot to tell them," he said. "They were like, 'you need to let us know.'"
Mountjoy's parents also help her pay for her books through Student Charge. And, though she said she knows of other students who use Student Charge for all sorts of miscellaneous items, that wouldn't go over so easily with her parents.
"If I got a sweatshirt or something [with Student Charge], they'd be like 'What did you spend $50 on at the bookstore on Oct. 20th?' 'Uh... a dictionary?'" she said.
Fourth-year College student Kelly Harlan, on the other hand, doesn't even have the luxury of parent-sponsored book buying. Although Harlan said she does Student Charge her books and other purchases, her parents take out the sum of each bill from her bank account at home. Harlan said she deals with this responsibility by buying her books in stages -- that way she avoids being hit by a giant dip in funds.
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