Illinibucks

Illinibucks has the potential to be a very valuable asset to the students of Illinois. A flat currency that can cut in front of lines eliminates some of the frustration that comes with being one of 40,000 students at the University of Illinois. Knowing that all students receive the same amount of Illinibucks and there is a limit to how many lines you can cut, students' preferences will become known.

For me, Illinibucks would be most useful for buying/renting books. On many occasions, I have been unable to immediately purchase a book. Illinibucks could potentially be used to place books on reserve, essentially "cutting the line" entirely and ensuring that the student receives their books on time. In this case, the student places priority on their schoolwork as opposed to food etc. Bookstores could incentivize returning rentals on time through Illinibucks. Thereby saving both time and frustration for students.

Illinibucks could also be advantageous registering for classes. For students that have extended Advanced Placement credit or are James Scholars/Honors students, Illinibucks would not enhance their experience. Their registration period is already early enough that they can register and still obtain the classes/time periods they need. However, for an underclassman, much of the frustration and waiting could be removed by the process if they are able to cut the line of registration. Perhaps a student would be able to get a spot in a class a semester early, thus quickening their graduation pace. Similarly, a student would be able to register for a 12 p.m. section time for a class as opposed to 8 a.m. If the set price were set too high, many students would not be able skip the registration line unless they saved a significant portion of their currency. On the contrary, if the price is set too low, too many students would be leapfrogging the line. Consequently, the process of gaining AP credit and becoming James Scholar is slightly less of an incentive.

Illinois Sporting Events are an intriguing hypothetical use for Illinibucks. I get the sense that the majority of students are not as interested in cutting the lines of sporting events. Larger sporting venues like Memorial Stadium and the State Farm Center have a multitude of entrances so the incentive to skip those lines is not exceedingly high. If one entrance is crowded, it is more than likely that another entrance is not as crowded. For sporting events like baseball or hockey, students may be encouraged to use Illinibucks to get a quality seat to watch friends/peers compete. Knowing that they could have good seats to watch the game encourages greater participation from the student population and more than likely higher attendance.

I believe that Illinibucks could be useful at places like the Ike and PAR/FAR dining halls. Perhaps cutting the line to obtain a certain type of food before it runs out may be a reason Illinibucks would be used. Similarly, if a student is in a rush to eat Illinibucks would help the student get their food faster. The cost of this use of Illinibucks would have to be relatively low in order to be used. If the cost were high, the product (in this case: eating more quickly) more than likely would not be worth it.

Overall, I feel that Illinibucks would provide some incentive to campus. Faster registration, attending more sporting events, and enhanced book buying could all be potential effects. Although it would not drastically alter my lifestyle, I feel that Illinibucks could be advantageous for many other students.