The concept of distributing illinibucks to each student on the University
of Illinois campus will drastically change the dynamics of how affairs are
handled on campus. Depending on the value put on these illinibucks, it could either make the lives of students on campus
efficient or inefficient; students will decide exactly what to use their illinibucks for. In every students
award letter on campus, there are different categories such as tuition, room
& board (if applicable), health insurances, bus service, others, etc.; and
there different categories have their respective costs. The idea of ilinibucks can help students opt out of
some of these categories; students will begin to use it for what they want
instead of certain fixed cost they could not opt out of initially.
If the university of Illinois decide to
implement these illinibucks, students
would be able to use it for Mckinley visits, the career center, Krannert Art
Musuem, Advising, Counseling, SORF, the gym, etc. Students will decide on what
to use their illinibucks for based on
their needs. It will give students some kind of independence. Additionally, the
idea of illinibucks will give
students the ability to surpass students in certain areas be it academically or
socially. If the administered price for illinibucks
is high, the demand for illinibucks
will be high because student will use it for only important things. The
university gets to control how the “market” is functioning because they set
these prices high for a reason. The idea of
illinibucks will be more efficient because the illinibucks is of a very important value. However it can cause
some unfair situations because students will go to extremes to get the right
amount of illinibucks. Students will start buying illinibucks with their money if need be. If the price is set low,
the idea of the illinibucks will be
very inefficient, students might use illinibucks
practically anything on campus.
I would use my illinibucks for a meal plan,
books, the career center, the gym, advisor visits, getting into events, etc.
The price has to be set at the right price for this to be possible though, if
not problems will arise. The university has to thoroughly think this idea
through, the different activities on campus have to cost a reasonable price but
the fix price of the illinibucks has
to be reasonable. I am not in support of the illinibucks for the Illinois campus just yet. I believe before we
ever think about adopting this system, the university should observe how well
the system has worked on very large universities first.
The way you wrote your post, you treated Illinibucks as a kind of substitute for money, so for example could be spent on meals or bucks. That was not the intent in the prompt. A money substitute of this sort would need financing to support the program. Where would that come from?
ReplyDeleteInstead the intent was to consider that many things on campus have "time price" for students. Students need to wait their turn to get access. The thought behind Illinibucks was that once in a while students could use them instead of paying the time price. That sort of usage would not require any additional financing, because not additional money resources would be needed (apart from a small amount to administer such a program).
Do note that if some students don't have to pay a time price, on occasion, then other students wanting to use the same resource will have to pay a higher time price. Those are the ones in line who don't use the Illinibucks. So there would be winners and losers in such an arrangement.