In mid-October, Marywood’s Student Accounts Office sent out an email concerning the 10% bonus applied to purchases of Marywood’s campus financial system, Pacer Points. Pacer Points are used to purchase food and drink at dining locations across campus, printing and everyday supplies.
The bonus, which is only applicable to purchases of additional Pacer Points to a meal plan, was removed due to budget reductions. For example, if a student ran out of Pacer Points and added $100 to their plan, they would receive 110 Points. The bonus’ discontinuation has been effective as of the current fiscal year, October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. The funds previously used for the bonus were reallocated to the Career Services Office.
The decision was made by Marywood’s Associate Vice President for Finance & Administration, Ashton Vogelsang.
“The University recently reallocated the funds previously used for the 10% Pacer Points meal plan bonus. In collaboration with our dining partner, we decided to redirect these resources to initiatives that better serve our students and support the university’s broader goals,” said Vogelsang.
Vogelsang explained that the funds were reallocated to the Career Services Office to properly support Marywood students during their post-graduate careers.
“By reinvesting these funds, we’ve been able to strengthen efforts that directly enhance the student experience. These changes ensure we’re not only optimizing operations but also positioning the university to thrive in the evolving landscape of higher education,” said Vogelsang.
The bonus discontinuation will be missed by those it gave a boost to. Fourth-year student Tanner Fenstermacher, who has lived on-campus and utilized a meal plan for all four years, is affected by the change. He thinks the funds could have gone towards a different initiative, one that would still help feed students living on-campus.
“I can see why they would want to allocate to Career Services to help with careers after college,” said Fenstermacher. “But I feel if you are going to take away a boost in Pacer Points when we buy them, it would be better allocated to fund the Pacer Pantry, as many students use it as a way to make food for themselves if they don’t have points to use or just want to have their own food, instead of the choices from Nazareth or Study Grounds.”
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