Becoming More Flexible

Off-campus Flex has been a long time coming. Originally conceived of four years ago, the Flex expansion required an overhaul of the Columbia University ID card, as well as steady work and cooperation among student leaders and administrators. They should be commended for finally making it happen, but they cannot lose sight of the work still needed to perfect the system in the months ahead.

During the 2003-4 academic year, the University promptly approved then-sophomore class President Wayne Ting’s proposal that students be enabled to use their FlexAccounts at off-campus vendors. Administrative support notwithstanding, Ting’s plan could not be implemented immediately because of concerns that vendors would have access to the Social Security numbers encoded on student ID cards. Facilitated in recent years by junior class President George Krebs, CC ’08, and other members of the class councils, the process continued according to schedule. As projected, new CUID cards were issued this fall, followed by last week’s inauguration of off-campus Flex. The three participating vendors—Fairway Market, Nussbaum & Wu, and Hamilton Deli—were chosen on the basis of a student survey and a search for vendors that would fill roles not already filled on campus. The system makes off-campus purchases more convenient, since students need not carry cash to shop at the designated locales. Furthermore, because student loans may be applied toward FlexAccounts, students can better bear the financial burden of daily life in Manhattan.

Despite its successes, off-campus Flex is as yet imperfect in operation and narrow in scope. Initially, processing time per purchase was considerably longer than the expected 15 seconds. Though many of the snags have been resolved, such delays inconvenience vendors and students and could dissuade future participation. A more salient issue is the small number of participating vendors—however popular among students, the three businesses currently accepting Flex limit students’ options. It is unfortunate that so few vendors were brought on board in the years since off-campus Flex was first proposed. Nonetheless, Westside Market will soon be added to the list, with further additions intended. Columbia must continue to promote the idea of off-campus Flex to local vendors, and help make the businesses’ transition as seamless as possible.

These hurdles should not obscure the fact that this was a success story, albeit one that dragged on longer than anyone would have liked. Off-campus Flex has had a promising start, and if purchase delays can be reduced, additional vendors might now be persuaded to sign on. The new system should inspire hope that other large, long-term projects can bear fruit, provided that students and administrators cooperate to see them through to their conclusions.