SG will open discount center

For the college students that enjoy a free or discounted deal, Student Government (SG) is operating a Discounts and Services Center in the Marshall Student Center (MSC) to aid student’s budgets and organizations on campus.

The Discounts and Services Center is a space funded by SG that will provide Bull’s Country key cards, for discounts at local restaurants and services green books for testing, discounted prices for amusement parks and promotional SG items. In the future, Student Body President Moneer Kheireddine hopes to eventually sell Bucs or Rays tickets, as well as other promotional items for events around the state.

Partnerships with Universal and Disney World have been secured, but Busch Gardens is still being finalized by members of SG’s executive branch. The specific discount amounts for the theme parks have not been announced, but Kheireddine said they will be in the next couple of weeks.

“The Busch Gardens deal will be an improvement from what we have seen before and also a continuation of what students have loved previously,” Kheireddine said.

The recommended funding amount of $60,000 would cover half of the construction cost of the space, which does not include tickets, staff or housing expenses. SG secured a location next to the Dining Services  located on the first floor of the MSC across from the Federal Credit Union since there were plans to renovate the area.

The Discount and Services Center will be beneficial to student organizations because of the “student organizations event care packages,” which would essentially give student organizations a large number of items they will need for events, according to Kheireddine.

If an event needs food, SG would prepare paper plates, napkins and silverware per the organization’s request.

Kheireddine said the goal of the care packages are for SG to buy the items in bulk, so that every organization does not have to buy items individually.

Kheireddine said construction is currently being worked on, and he is hoping for a soft launch in the spring semester  which would entail the key tags, promotional items from SG, free green books and Busch Gardens tickets though, the full launch would likely not be until next school year, according to Kheireddine.

“Discounts and Services is a broad term for a reason,” Kheireddine said. “It is meant to incorporate a lot of different items and provide a lot of engagement opportunities.”

In order for SG to bridge the disconnect between the student body and student organizations, Kheireddine said the center would allow students to ask questions on the first floor instead of having to go up to SG’s fourth floor suite.

The Discounts and Services Center would provide convenience to students because of the physical aspect, according to Kheireddine.

According to Kheireddine, there was a strong SG interest to fund the initiative, as well as from the student body.

No student surveys were given, but it was a campaign idea that Kheireddine and Student Body Vice President Shaquille Kent said they believed in and got positive feedback on.

The initiative originated a couple years ago in the 57th term under former Student Body President Chris Griffin and Vice President Alec Waid. The discount idea was inspired by UCF’s discount center, which was set up similarly to a movie theater booth.

“The intent of the space is to give a connection point to SG and the student body,” Kheireddine said. “ We want this space to be accessible to students and give more opportunities to organizations to make it as easy as possible for them.”