Students living in the residence halls will find themselves $50 richer this fall with a new program implemented through dining services. Those living in the residence halls will be receiving Dining Dollars as a bonus to their meal plans, and they can be used in a variety of dining service operations. Dining Dollars allow students to bring guests into the dining centers and pay for their meals. They can also purchase additional meals not covered in their original meal plan and extra items for a sack meal, said Stewart Burger, associate director of dining services. “This year will be a pilot year to see how the program works from a technical services standpoint,” Burger said. “We put the software in place last spring, tested it throughout the summer and we are now in the mass testing phase this fall.” Dining Dollars have been added to students’ ID cards and can be used at any of the six dining centers or at any C-Store. Director of Residence Randy Alexander said the Dining Dollars are a nice bonus for students and give dining services a chance to test the new service. “The campus is moving in the direction of a single food service provider,” Alexander said. “This Dining Dollar program gives us a year or two to try it.” Christina Gill, junior in hotel, restaurant and institutional management, said she thinks the program will be good for students, but she wished the Memorial Union food court was included in the deal. “When you have guests over, that makes it really nice, because you don’t have to worry about having cash with you,” Gill said. “Most people I have talked to are excited about the new program and think it will work out.” Burger said food service officials are hoping to implement the Memorial Union food court in the contract by next year. “This is a long-term commitment, combining campus dining services with all other food entities on campus,” he said. “We also think that will benefit students who live off-campus and tailor the program to them.” Shaun Sheller, freshman in graphic design, said the Dining Dollars will make dining services more user friendly. “I think it’s cool to get free money,” Sheller said. “I also think it is a good incentive to bring more business onto campus with this program.” Students are able to add more money onto their account at a reduced rate through Sept. 1. They can also add money anytime throughout the year in $10 increments. One catch to the program is that all the money must be used up by the end of spring semester, or it is erased from the account. “If you don’t use all the money in the fall, it carries over to the spring, but, like any contract, it expires at the end of the contract period,” Burger said.