Brown University, Providence, R.I. is considering a plan to enable students to use Bear Buck accounts off campus. Bear Bucks, which replaced the school’s declining balance system this semester, is similar to a debit card but is currently only good campus-wide.

The new proposal would allow Bear Bucks to be used at off-campus restaurants and other local businesses.

The project is still in the research phase. Members of the Undergraduate Council of Students, which is pushing the proposal, contacted seven schools on the East Coast, including Harvard, Cornell and Georgetown, to learn more about off-campus dining options and to see if this would work at Brown.

“We don’t want to waste the administration’s time,” said Alexander Sherry, a member of the Undergraduate Council. “The idea for this project was convenience–not having to carry around your wallet and your credit cards–just your ID card is enough to make you self-sufficient around this campus,” he added.

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