Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will be adding a Flex Dollar portal to concession stands for the football season next fall.
Robert Hughes, a sophomore computer science major and Associated Student Body vice chair of the athletics committee, said that he first brought up the idea when he was a freshman, expressing his disappointment in not being able to use his Flex Dollars at a concession stand during a football game.
“We were attempting to get this accomplished (last year), however the administration had not yet picked a new athletic director, so it was virtually impossible to meet with the athletics department regarding Flex in the stadium,” Hughes said.
After Hughes became the vice chair of the athletics committee, he organized a meeting with Keith Carter, the athletics director, to begin the project. He said that Carter was very enthusiastic about the idea, but at first, he was worried that university food provider Aramark may resist the idea.
“During that initial meeting, Keith spoke of contractual issues that could arise between the company that runs Flex and the concession company,” Hughes said. “I spoke of a possible cost benefit analysis about the additional student revenue outweighing the cost of the contracts and technology that would need to be implemented.”
Zach Elliott, a junior banking and finance major and the chairman of the ASB athletics committee, said that while reaching out to Carter and Paris Buchanan, the assistant athletic director, there were some communication issues along the way.
“You always have difficulties with anything that gives material change,” Elliott said. “Understanding which people to communicate with and knowing how to word ideas to certain stakeholders (is difficult). Obviously. an administrator and a student will not express the same concern in the same language.”
Hughes said that after meetings with Carter, the idea was passed on to the contract office, where Larry Sparks, the vice chancellor for finance and administration, approved of it before retiring in December 2020. According to an email from Kathy Tidwell, the director of contractual services and licensing, there are some equipment parts that the university will need to purchase and install, but expect to have it before football season starts.
“I just kept following up with them to make sure the process was continuing over the past semester as some of the processes just took time,” Hughes said. “(I am) relieved that it’s confirmed and excited for next year.”
