History of the Week: Trustees propose Dining Dollars elimination
Agina Nelson (right), then-senior human resource management major and The Trident employee, waits on Melissa Runquist, then-senior finance major.
February 24, 2016
In a proposal voted on by NIU’s Board of Trustees on March 19, 2001, Huskie Bucks were to be introduced and Dining Dollars were to be eliminated.
Huskie Bucks, defined as dollar amounts placed into an account accessed through a student’s OneCard, furthered dining options.
Huskie Bucks planned to prevent an annual rise in room and board rates. Keeping the rate at $4,262 for the 2001-02 academic year, according to a 2001 Northern Star article.
Compared to the previous Dining Dollars plan, students had the option of choosing between a base of $50, $75 or $100 a week compared to the then-required $60 a week. That money could be spent in the residence hall dining halls.
Now, Huskie Bucks are still implemented but are separate from a Housing and Dining meal plan, which includes Flex Dollars.
Huskie Bucks can be used to access bowling and billiards, copy machines on campus, food purchases, parking permits, printing labs and transcripts.