Students looking for a new UB card or hoping to add Campus Cash to their account will have to walk a few extra steps in the Commons to get what they need starting this year.
The UB Card Office deals with meal plans, Dining Dollars, Campus Cash and anything else to do with UB cards. On August 3, the office relocated from suite 101 on the ground floor to suite 211 on the second floor.
The offices and shops within the Commons are privately owned and operated by First Amherst Development, a local real estate development and management company. It also owns and operates numerous properties around the area.
According to Mitchell L. Green, Executive Director of FSA Campus Dining & Shops, the move was a money-saver, as the former office was larger than necessary and therefore higher in rent.
Unlike Campus Tees, which recently claimed a spot in the Student Union Lobby, the card office was forced to move onto private property.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to secure space in the Student Union for the UB Card Office," Green said. "Rather than pay rent on the excess space in the Commons, we decided to move to a smaller suite."
According to Green, the new office comes with many benefits.
"First of all, the waiting area for customers is configured better. There were several columns in the old space that interfered with a good queuing pattern," he said.
The new space will also feature a separate area for the office manager to discuss private matters with students and parents.
"The UB Card Office manager has frequent conversations with students and parents that are confidential in nature," Green said. "Having confidential conversations in the old space was very difficult because of the open office format."
Green said that the office wants to ensure students are aware of the change in location, as UB cards are important in every aspect of a student's daily life. Therefore, table tents were placed in all the dining facilities to alert students about the change, as well as signs on UB buses and in the Commons' lobby.
As the move took place, a portable camera system was used to take ID pictures, and campus wireless connections were used to keep up-to-date card and meal plan accounts.
"The transition to the new space has been very smooth. We have yet to encounter any problems that affect service to the students," Green said.
The old office space remains empty with no finalized plans of future use by First Amherst Development.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
