By Oliver Heffron
Staff Writer
Since the beginning of the Fall Semester, Sewanee’s office of Business Services has expanded student’s dining options by making Domain Dollars eligible at more local merchants. Starting in October, OctoPi and the Sewanee Market have been added to the program. The Green’s View Grill is currently in the process of accepting Domain Dollars and will soon be an option for students.
Sam McNair, director of Business Services at the University, explained the goal of this expansion: “We want to give students more options by including more local merchants in the program.” In such culinary isolation, it is crucial that Sewanee students have affordable and nourishing options to fuel their academic appetites.
Domain Dollars are additional funds students (or family and friends of students) can add to their ID card and use to purchase food, beverages, and merchandise (excluding alcohol, tobacco, and related products). There is no limit on the number of Domain Dollars a student can purchase, and they can be easily uploaded to their account on the web at get.cbord.com/sewanee.
There is some confusion across campus about Domain Dollars and Flex Dollars. Flex Dollars are the fixed $150 allowance added to a student’s account every semester as part of their board plan. Many students stop using their ID to pay for food after their allowance is up, but with Domain Dollars they can continue to use their account by purchasing Domain Dollars.
The local merchants currently accepting Domain Dollars include: Cup & Gown Cafe, Sewanee Book and Supply Store, Sewanee Union Theatre, Shenanigans Restaurant, Stirling’s Coffee House, Student Post Office, The Blue Chair Cafe and Tavern, The Sewanee Market, Tiger Bay Pub, Village Laundry and Dry Cleaning.
By allowing for students to pay for their food and amenities through Domain Dollars, students’ families can directly support them financially. Parent’s can sleep easier knowing the money they send goes straight into the Domain Dollars account, where their child can use the funds to purchase food and amenities, not alcohol or tobacco. 18-year olds can make risky short-term investments, and the Domain Dollars is a surefire way to ensure students have enough money to eat.
While Sewanee’s culinary appeal is still weak, the expansion of Domain Dollars is a positive step towards ensuring food security and options for hungry students.