INC NEWS - Letter: DukeCard reforms would benefit all (today's Herald-Sun)

[John Schelp]

Letter: DukeCard questioned
Herald-Sun, 12 December 2005 
 
After a poorly attended 9th Street block party Duke
sponsored during student orientation, the Old West
Durham Neighborhood Association received feedback from
merchants suggesting that DukeCard policies
contributed to the poor turnout. The DukeCard allows
students to use the card rather than cash for
purchases, but only for purchases on the Duke campus. 

We asked Duke officials if the system could be changed
to allow DukeCard use for off-campus purchases. We
also asked if Duke could reduce both start-up costs
for merchants (currently $1,200-$3,500) and its
commissions on purchases (currently around 18
percent), high costs that make program participation
prohibitive for many local businesses. 

President Richard Brodhead's initial response was
encouraging and Duke officials promised a timely
response. But the semester's end and the holiday
season are here, and we're still waiting. 

In the meantime, we learned that Indiana University
charges local merchants $300 in set-up costs and 3-5
percent in commissions. We also learned that UNC One
Cards can be linked to an area bank account and used
as check-cards at off-campus businesses -- a model
Duke should consider. 

The Duke Chronicle quoted Duke students saying they
seldom patronize off-campus businesses because they
prefer the convenience of making purchases with
DukeCards rather than cash. 

Duke officials have repeatedly said they support
business districts near campus. Expanding the DukeCard
program along the UNC One Card model would encourage
more students to venture off campus and patronize
Durham businesses. 

And cutting DukeCard set-up and commission costs would
be a way for Duke to put its money where its mouth is.



JOHN SCHELP; JOHN BROWNER
Durham

Browner owns Books On Ninth; Schelp represents the
board of the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association.