With the start of the new semester, students have noticed the recent upgrade to the meal swipe machines in Baldwin and the technology issues that have arisen.
Rob Scott, director of Pioneer College Caterers, said the new machines were decided upon during the fall semester due to a needed technological upgrade.
“We wanted to implement them in Baldwin first, allowing us the opportunity to work out any issues prior to putting them in all locations,” Scott said.
Scott said that the upgrade has allowed cashiers to see who is swiping in and for students to see how many swipes they have left.
With this new upgrade, some students do not mind the new machines and have not had any technological problems.
Gracee Ayers, a freshman, said the new machines do not bother her. Ayers said that the new machines haven’t caused any problems for her and do not have an impact on her waiting time for food.
“Personally, I don’t mind them,” Ayers said. “It’s actually not that long, just like a couple extra seconds.”
However, this recent technology update has left some students irritated and confused.
Merci Karoti, a freshman and Pioneer student worker, said that she was a little confused about the new meal swipe machines.
“When I first saw the new meal swipe machines in Baldwin, I was kind of confused,” Karoti said. “Before you could go in and not have to worry about seeing your name on the screen.”
Karoti said that she thinks the new meal swipe machines were added to help make sure that all students coming to eat, swiped for their meal.
Freshman Hannah Bone said she is also really irritated by the new machines.
“I despise the machines,” Bone said. “It has created longer lines, and I am always having to reswipe my ID.”
Bone said she is a regular at Baldwin because it gives her time to sit and enjoy her food before she must run off to class.
Scott said that the technology issues are from the new updates, but they are working on fixing it.
“Unfortunately, this has presented some growing pains that on the front end make any challenges appear as if there are issues with the card readers,” Scott said. “Pioneer and IWU’s IT teams are working daily to resolve the challenges on the back end.”
