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Towson University and Off-Campus
Advantage Take the OneCard Off
Campus
Towson provides off-campus
spending without the risks
associated with debit or credit
cards.
April 16, 2008
Ithaca, NY and Towson, MD
—
Off-Campus Advantage™ (OCA), a
leader in off-campus payment
services, and Towson University
today announced the launch of Retail
Points, the university’s off-campus
payment program. Towson University
and OCA have enabled the entire
campus community to use a declining
balance account on their ID cards,
the Towson OneCard, as a form of
payment at participating local
merchants, without exposing users to
overdraft fees and credit card debt.
“Going off-campus was the next step
to making the Towson OneCard truly
an all-in-one card. We are pleased
to provide our student body with
exactly what they asked for: a
flexible account to meet their on-
and off-campus needs,” said Robert
Campbell, Director of Auxiliary
Services and Finance, Towson
University.
“At a time when university ID cards
are making headlines because of ties
to debit and credit card companies,
we provide an alternative that still
expands the purchasing power of the
card, without the associated risks,”
said Shawn McCarthy, Vice President
of Wide-Area Commerce for The CBORD
Group, Inc., the parent company of
OCA. “Off-Campus Advantage operates
closed-loop declining balance
accounts. When a student swipes his
or her OneCard at a local business,
our UGryd™ Central Server checks
that funds are available in the
cardholder’s account. If not, the
transaction is declined, with no
fees or penalties to the student.”
Retail Points, Towson’s existing
on-campus discretionary account,
could already be used on campus to
purchase textbooks, do laundry,
purchase snacks from vending
machines, and more. After students
and local businesses proposed the
enhancement, OCA expanded Retail
Points to be accepted as a form of
payment at businesses in the
community. “Towson University values
the relationship between the
university, students, and the town.
Taking the OneCard off campus was
important to the university, its
students, and the local business
community. The students requested to
use the card off campus and
identified which merchants they
would like to see participating in
the program,” said Campbell.
The Towson OneCard is powered by
CBORDŽ’s CS GoldŽ card system.
CBORD’s array of integrated
solutions enabled Towson to increase
its card functionality while meeting
all of the State of Maryland’s
standards for funds handling. Towson
University maintains complete
control over its off-campus
program’s operations and student
deposits, as well as approval of
each merchant before they can accept
the OneCard. “Rather than reissuing
the OneCard with a credit card or
bank logo, Towson is strengthening
its own OneCard brand,” concluded
McCarthy.
About Off-Campus Advantage, LLC
Off-Campus Advantage, LLC, expands
the functionality of the
university-issued ID card by
enabling merchants in the local
community to accept it as a form of
payment. With its suite of services,
including UGyrd™ Central Server
Technology, OCA creates fully
customized programs for schools with
existing off-campus vendors, as well
as those migrating off-campus for
the first time. OCA is a wholly
owned subsidiary of The CBORD Group,
Inc., and is fully integrated with
CBORD campus card systems. The CBORD
Group, founded in 1975, has served
the campus-wide needs of
higher-education facilities for more
than 30 years. To learn more about
Off-Campus Advantage, visit us
online at
www.offcampusadvantage.com.
About Towson University
Founded in 1866, Towson University
is recognized among the nation’s
best regional public universities,
offering more than 100 bachelor’s,
master’s, and doctoral degree
programs in the liberal arts and
sciences, and applied professional
fields. Located in suburban Towson,
eight miles north of Baltimore, the
328-acre setting offers a pleasant
environment for study and a diverse
campus life, as well as easy access
to a plethora of university and
community resources.
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