The URos program was created with one major purpose in mind: to better connect UR students to the city of Rochester by enabling the use of URos (formerly Flex dollars) at area businesses. With the enormous success of the program over the past year, the Editorial Board is right to call for its expansion.
It is telling that nearly all the businesses that piloted URos still honor it today. Even more telling is that the only business to drop from the program, Aja Noodles, did not do so due to flagging student interest as previously suggested. In fact, no public reason was ever disclosed by Aja as to why they dropped. Knowing this, the measured addition of one to two more businesses would most likely bolster the URos program and its offerings to both River Campus and Eastman students.
With dining locales already making up the bulk of businesses accepting URos, it would perhaps be best to seek partnerships with non-dining outfits in the area. According to polling data conducted prior to the implementation of URos, students were most interested in having a movie theater, clothing store and supermarket available with the program’s opening. Considering this data and the promise of new dining businesses opening around Brooks Landing, I believe that the ideal outfits to include with URos are the Little Theatre and Wegmans.
While expansion is exciting, it is important to approach this change with tact so as to maintain satisfaction for all parties involved in the process. Yet, if the past year is any indication, URos is win-win for students, businesses, the city and our school. I encourage Cam Shauf, Auxiliary Operations and the Students’ Association to begin evaluating these options immediately and challenge them to have new locales open for business by the fall of 2008.
-Greg MeditzClass of 2008
