Husky Card Vendor List

A student posted a comment on a post yesterday about where to find a list of vendors that take Dining Dollars. You can find a list of vendors that take Dining / Husky Dollars through the Registrar's website.

Correction on Jamba Juice Hours

This week we posted that the normal hours of operation for Jamba Juice and Peet's Coffee & Tea at International Village will have both locations open until 11 PM most nights. This was incorrect, and we apologize for the mistake. The correct hours of Peet's Coffee & Tea will indeed keep it open until 11:00 PM Monday to Thursday and 8:00 PM Friday to Sunday, however Jamba Juice will only be open until 8:00 PM Monday to Thursday and 6:00 PM Friday to Sunday.

Should the student body find these hours to be inadequate, it is possible that they will be changed in the future, so let us know what you think.

Three New Eateries Open

This morning at 7:00 AM, the first of three new eateries on campus opened with the opening of the International Village Dining Hall. Peet's Coffee & Tea and Jamba Juice also open today. Running on a somewhat limited schedule until after Labor Day, the normal hours will keep Peet's Coffee & Tea and Jamba Juice open until 11 PM most days with the International Village Dining Hall mirroring last year's hours at Stetson Hall East.

Parcel 18 Vendors

After a long wait, we are finally able to report that the vendors that Northeastern is trying to contract with for the Parcel 18 retail space are Jamba Juice and Peet's Coffee & Tea. These two vendors are not 100% confirmed, but this news follows a long process where RSA and SGA surveyed students, found that there was a lack of venting in the facility, and then had to settle for vendors that could operate without a vent.

What Happened to the Free Coffee for Voting?

On Tuesday, November 4th many students were expecting to get a free tall coffee at Starbucks for casting their vote in the General Election. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case at the Northeastern University Starbucks in the Curry Student Center, and students brought their complaints forward to the Resident Student Association. We contacted the people in charge of Dining Services to find out why this was the case. Here's what we were told:

The Starbucks at the Curry Student Center is not a "participating" Starbucks. Meaning [that] we have the discretion to run a program or bypass it if we feel [that] it will interfere with a smooth operation and create a consumer disservice with long lines and [an] inability to live up to the service expectations of our customer. In a college environment, where timing is critical for students to make their class schedule, it is just not wise to knowingly create a bottle neck that won't make everyone happy.

So Dining Services did not have our Starbucks participate because they wanted to ensure that lines would be limited and students could make it to class on-time, providing better service. If you disagree let us know and we'll let them know.

When the Cashier Asks for ID, Say No!

When you're doing shopping for your apartment or residence hall room, buying lunch, getting new clothes, or picking up some snacks at the supermarket, if the cashier asks you for ID to use your credit or debit card, politely tell them "No!" By showing your ID, you increase your risk of costly identity theft, which can take years and cost thousands of dollars to clean up. Sadly, the problem stems from corrupt employees who will copy down information off your ID or memorize it and write it down later for misuse.

Under policies from the major credit card companies (Visa and MasterCard, and any establishment that takes Visa and/or MasterCard plus American Express), identification cannot be required for a sale provided the cardholder has signed the back of their credit or debit card. If you haven't signed your card, be sure to do so because not signing it can also increase your risk of identity theft, makes your card void in some cases, and could even make you liable for fraud that is typically covered by your bank if you followed their directions and signed the card.

If you hear of merchants in the Northeastern University area that are requiring identification for credit/debit cards, or breaking the rules by having minimum purchases or surcharges to use a credit card (which is even worse because it is against the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts), let us know or report the fraud by calling 1-800-VISA-911 for Visa cards or by submitting an online report for MasterCard cards.

Live Blog: Parcel 18 Vendor Meeting

Members of the Housing Services Committee attending a meeting today regarding a recommendation from the student body about a vendor to go into the retail space in Parcel 18. With Wi-Fi internet access covering all of the Curry Student Center, we're taking this opportunity to blog live and post updates throughout the meeting.

6:10 PM: The total survey results came back in alignment with the residential votes having Panera Bread and Jamba Juice.

6:19 PM: The committee talked about the current Au Bon Pain contract, which ends in 2011 but gives a five year option to Au Bon Pain for extension. The initial contract was a ten year contract with two options for five year extensions, and we are currently in the first five year extension. Because of this contract, it is not likely that Au Bon Pain can be replaced until 2016.

6:22 PM: A discussion took place about vendors and their hours. The City of Boston has limits on how late businesses can be open, and an issue is that some vendors may not want to be open late. Panera traditionally closes around 9 or 10 PM, but students want an option that is open all night or at least until 2 or 3 AM.

6:24 PM: The square footage in Parcel 18 is a total of 3400 square feet, so one option is having two vendors. Some places are only around 1500 square feet, so fitting say a Johnny Rockets and a Jamba Juice is possible.

6:26 PM: We talked about the location on Columbus Avenue and how students may not want to travel to the other side of campus. However, with 1200 people in Parcel 18 plus the other students in the area from buildings like Davenport A, and Coventry. It's interesting because when there are more things to go to, people might actually go there. We also talked about possible issues related to bad groups of people from the Roxbury area that might end up coming to the vendor place.

6:30 PM: It was brought up that people are able to get burgers and fries all over the place -- but then it was mentioned that people said they want a place for a good burger.

6:32 PM: A major point in the discussion was that Panera requires the most space. If we take a Panera, we won't be able to have another vendor. The chair of the meeting suggested that we need to look beyond the numbers from students and look at other aspects. It was mentioned that some options provide more variety. It also was mentioned that some options are similar -- for example, Cosi and Panera are similar in their offerings of salad, soup, and sandwiches.

6:37 PM: Here's the vote count from the student survey:

• Johnny Rockets: 38
• Cheeburger Cheeburger: 15
• Fuddruckers: 15
• Panera: 60
• Viga: 25
• Cosi: 23
• Jamba Juice: 42
• Other: 13

6:41 PM: The chair (Vice President Ryan Fox of the Student Government Association) brought up that a recommendation might not be made tonight, as he isn't sure he is comfortable. It was brought up that the comments from the survey need to be looked at, because students made comments. A lot of students apparently have said they want a heathy option and then a "burger" option as well.

6:43 PM: Vice President Fox expressed that he believed the survey was misleading. However, after a review of the documents it was found that this wasn't the case and there was consistency. It was brought up that Panera is the leader of the survey, and that if students want it, that we should support a Panera. It was also brought up that a similar number of students asked for one healthy option such as Jamba Juice and one other. The chair suggested that the pairings and the intent be looked at.

6:47 PM: The idea of satisfying the most people was discussed. The goal isn't to please people who want a certain option, but rather to please the highest number of people.

6:50 PM: I raised a question about the survey and how choices were limited by the committee. We discussed the possibility of maybe doing another survey. There seems to be a debate in the room about following the survey result of Panera coming out on top versus following the desire of many students to see two options.

6:52 PM: Debate continued about the survey and the data interpretation. The recommendation from the student body needs to be done "as soon as possible" per request of Marina Iannalfo, the Dean of Campus Life. The meeting ended so everyone can go to the GrandMarc presentation.

This concludes the live update... feel free to post your comments, thoughts, and feedback on the comments section of the blog!

Meeting About Parcel 18 Vendor Postponed

The meeting regarding the vendor at Parcel 18 has been postponed until next week. It will be July 16th at 6:00 PM in 435 Curry Student Center. We hope to see you there.

Meeting About Parcel 18 Vendor(s)

This week an important meeting is being held where a recommendation will be decided for the vendor(s) in the retail space in Parcel 18. Myself and other members of the Housing Services Committee will be there. The meeting is in 435 Curry Student Center at 6:00 PM, and I encourage anyone interested to attend.

More on the West Campus Wollastons

I have more bad news to report on the West Campus Wollastons: it's only open until 9 PM. Last year, RSA advocated for a 10 PM close of the West Campus Wollastons, but the store has decided to go back to closing at 9 PM.

The Housing Services Committee is currently investigating the issue and will be trying to see if we can get the Monday through Friday closing time changed back to 10 PM for Summer II and the store open on Sundays. As a part of the proposal, we will offer our assistance to Wollaston's in promoting the fact that the store is open for business until 10 PM and on Sundays. We're also talking with the Student Government Association about the matter as well. We'll keep you updated

Wollaston's West Campus

The West Campus Wollaston's is now closed on Sunday for the rest of the summer. The Resident Student Association was not aware of the change or plans to change it, but we're looking into why this happened and if there is a possibility of keeping the location open on Sundays during the summer.

Last year under former Vice President Nicole Johnson the West Campus Wollaston's closing time was extended an hour. This was a great step forward, and it is disappointing to see a step back with the Sunday closing for the rest of the summer. Wollaston's in the West Campus directs students to go to the Marino Center location on Sundays