Illinibucks

I think that things like sporting event tickets would be a great way to use Illinibucks and the price would vary depending on the seating chart as it does with regular cash. So those buying in person would be able to get their desired seats quite quicker than others not spending their Illinibucks. This would work as sporting events are not a necessity to students so those who choose to go can freely use their bucks however, they choose without negatively affecting someone else. 

I also believe that it can be used for dorm reservations when housing sign ups begin every fall. Students more willing to spend more of their bucks could get ahead in order to choose the nice and luxurious dorms versus the somewhat random process that it is now. We do not exactly get a firsthand pick in what we want and can often be assigned to dorms that we do not wish to live in. In that sense it could appear as more fair, as the students not willing to spend their bucks on housing can choose to spend it freely elsewhere.

However, in an academic setting, say for example, registering classes I do not think this would be a great plan and simply would not work.  To be a little more specific about class registration, it would essentially be a nightmare as opposed to the way it is structured now. All freshmen could possibly get priority registering if they use their Illinibucks to get ahead of the seniors who may need to take a class to graduate but now find themselves unable to. The priorities would get quite out of order and students would most likely view this as quite unfair as it's determined only by those more willing to spend more of their bucks. 

If the administered prices are too low, then it loses its value essentially. Once instant would be if there was a product that people really wanted, they would just be spending more and more bucks to get ahead of each other but would ultimately end up in the same place they were in the beginning. The whole point of Illinibucks can be rendered worthless and useless if there is no higher cost to bar people from spending them.
If the administered prices are too high, then it would be cost prohibitive for a lot of students, and only students who truly really wanted to move to the head of the line would do it. This can be seen as good or bad thing, but in a sense,  I think this is still better than if the prices were too low. One potential issue is that students not willing to spend their Illinibucks will end up waiting a long line behind those who are more willing. The wait times could possibly get out of hand and could prove detrimental.
Personally, I would spend my Ilinibucks to get ahead in food and coffee areas like Starbucks in the Union so I don't have to wait the long lines that form around them and can make it to my next class quicker. I could also see myself utilizing it in other places like the Union bookstore when purchasing school textbooks and supplies at the beginning of the year as it takes so long to purchase them when so many other students are wanting to do the same. If it could also be used as a way to get ahead in line of TA office hours that would be quite useful to get the questions, I need answered without waiting too long. This would be very beneficial if there was an exam coming up and I need some help with some concepts regarding it.

Comments

  1. Professor ArvanOctober 8, 2019 at 5:50 AM

    I'm glad you got this post in.

    You are the first student to write about dorm room reservations. Is the system the same for entering students and returning students who want to stay in a dorm? I also wonder if some dorms are preferred by their location depending on what the student is majoring in, as well as the modern facilities. What are the preferred dorms by that criterion?

    The lines at the food service (which I believe is a U of I produced activity) may be different than at Starbucks (which is a market activity). The issue for me is whether there are times when the lines are not so long and if some of the demand can be shifted to those times to reduce the congestion when the lines are really long.

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    Replies
    1. Paul MilgromOctober 13, 2019 at 1:21 PM

      I do believe the system is the same for entering students and returning students. They both use the same housing application when wishing to sign up for dorms for the next year. However returning students will be given higher priority and will have more options than entering students. Dorms can be preferred by students when the classes are somewhat close to them. For example, an engineering student may stay at the Illinois Residence Halls which is quite close to the engineering part of campus. Also if a student wishes to join a fraternity/sorority they may want to stay at Ikenberry Residence Halls as it quite close to numerous Greek houses.

      I think redistributing the lines to non peak hours would be a great way to mitigate a lot of problems. Currently at peak hours, one can often wait up to 20 minutes just to get a coffee.

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