MSA explores EZ Charge expansion

Students would be able to use student ID cards at local businesses.

By Greg Young

Published March 30, 2009

The Missouri Students Association is considering a potential expansion of the EZ Charge system to local restaurants and other businesses.

MSA, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs and Business Services Director Paul Toler will be investigating whether expansion of the EZ Charge system would garner student support and how an expansion of the system could be implemented.

MSA Student Affairs Committee Chairman Paul Whiteside is leading the MSA investigation into the potential expansion, which was established in a resolution passed by the MSA Senate earlier this month. He is looking at not only expanding EZ Charge to a few restaurants near the MU campus, but to a broader swath of Columbia restaurants and businesses.

"We have no reason to limit it to any two particular locations," Whiteside said.

Other colleges have attempted to expand their student charge systems to local businesses and restaurants, and MSA is hoping to learn from those experiences. One school that looked into expanding its charge system was Yale University, which ultimately decided not to expand it largely due to complaints about interaction between credit card companies and the school.

Former MSA Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays said MU could avoid that potential conflict.

"We are not looking to get credit card companies in this process, so we don't think that particular issue would be a problem," Mays said.

But because expanding the EZ Charge system would involve charging on credit to businesses not directly associated with the university, it could run into state and federal banking regulations, which are both numerous and potentially confusing.

Toler said universities across the country have wanted to avoid having to deal with banking regulations, thus forcing partnerships with banks and credit card companies, which Toler said would not be beneficial to Missouri students.

"So many students already have accounts with the banks they prefer to use that these partnerships generally have not been considered to be a preferential alternative to the program MU already offers its students," Toler said.

Scroggs said MU would not be allowed to accommodate this request legally.

Scroggs and Toler said they will communicate this to MSA on Tuesday night, when they meet with MSA to discuss the potential expansion of EZ Charge.

"Given the fact that many students have debit and credit cards already, there is not a great need for the university to be in this business as there was maybe 10 or 15 years ago," Scroggs said.

If MU is able to get around the banking regulations by partnering with a credit card company or bank, other Senate members such as Student Affairs Committee Vice Chairman David Salek said it could be tough for MU to strike a deal with local businesses regarding a charge system.

"I think the hardest part is going to be getting some agreement with the university, who tends to be bureaucratic, and local businesses," Salek said.

Despite support, Whiteside said he was not optimistic any major legislation involving an expansion of EZ Charge would pass before May.

"It's a very interesting bill, but I doubt we'll be able to finish it before the end of the semester," Whiteside said.