Students develop restaurant debit card

A new dining alternative called the QuakerCard will be competing to serve University students this fall. The debit card is administered by University Students Services, Inc., a company founded by four Wharton seniors in conjunction with 11 local restaurants. The so-called meal plan operates seven days a week. Throughout the summer, Dining Services and Penn Student Agencies have received dozens of phone calls from students and parents who mistakenly believed the QuakerCard is University-affiliated. The Office of the Registrar has posted an official statement on Penn InTouch notifying students that the card is in "no way affiliated, sponsored by, nor endorsed by Penn." Chris Cononico, Jon Guljord, Matthew Levenson and Michael Vaughan conceived the idea for a management project but "took it way past the class," according to Cononico. The QuakerCard was developed using the seniors' personal connections -- including parents and friends. "We have put all our money and time into this business," Cononico said. "It's like a dream come true for us." University students will be able to choose from five different plans that permit money to be deposited on the card for use at designated restaurants. Students have the entire semester to use their balances and the remaining amount is entirely refundable. Money that is deposited by students will be put into a trust account with a Great Neck accounting firm, L.H. Romoff. A mother of one of the founders, whose name the students would not reveal, is an accountant at the firm and is acting as the account's trustee. "The QuakerCard is a completely reliable service, as will be proven in the months to come," said Vaughan. "The trustee account guarantees the safety of the customers' money." Cononico added that University Student Services is "like a family business." He explained that most of the founders' parents are involved with stuffing envelopes. Billybob's, Genji, My Favorite Muffin, Cool Peppers, Smokey Joe's, Hong Kong Cafe, Domino's, Abner's, Chili's and Cosimo's Pizza are the current designated restaurants. Several other eateries at The Food Court and Wawa are negotiating with the corporation, according to the founders. Cononico said that he and his colleagues will respond to students' dining preferences. He added that the corporation's name was not meant to mislead students or parents. But Penn Student Agencies has received many phone calls from parents who have confused the QuakerCard with the Student Advantage Card, which is a discount card for food, entertainment and travel. "PSA is in no way affiliated with the QuakerCard," said Summer Office Manager Elizabeth Scanlon, a College junior. "Many parents have mistaken the dining service for an University sponsored organization." Dining Services Meal Contracts and Marketing Coordinator Adam Sherr had similar concerns. His office has also received phone calls from students and parents who believe the QuakerCard is sponsored by the University. "Most people are disturbed when they find out the QuakerCard is not affiliated with Penn," Sherr explained. "We are receiving more calls everyday." Sherr said he does not believe University Student Services will significantly affect students' University meal contracts. "The card can definitely fill the weekend void," Sherr said. "But all the restaurants have been there before." General Counsel Shelley Green said the University is investigating the corporation. She explained that when something is presented to the public to create the false impression that it is sponsored by the University when it really is not, there could be a problem. "It would depend on how the information is presented -- whether they use the Penn name is not the only factor the court would look at," Green said. "If people are getting the wrong impression about a product, it would be of interest to the University." Cononico maintained that the QuakerCard's non-affiliation with the University is clear. He added that it is clearly a service to students for safety reasons. The University Student Services office is located in the Christian Association building, at the corner of 36th Street and Locust Walk. The founders of the company plan to have representatives promoting their card throughout campus during the initial weeks of classes. "This service is long overdue, and it is finally here," Vaughan said.