College students all over Indiana are seeking any discounts that they can get their hands on. As full-time students, they have many expenses when they are away from home. So discounts specifically for college students, that focus on certain products they need, can definitely impact how they decide to spend their money. Vice President for Student and Campus Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli handles many of the discounts students have at the University of Indianapolis and around the city of Indianapolis. She said that with the weekend shuttles provided, the university wants more students to take advantage of what the city has to offer.
That is why the university had a scavenger hunt for incoming freshmen, so they could get oriented to the city, she said.
“Our hope is that we can work with more public venues to say, ‘okay, we are going to get tickets for the symphony or we are going to get tickets for this theatre performance’ because the shuttle is already going downtown, to get discounts for students,” Vitangeli said.
With the events that take place in the city, the university wants students to experience as much culture and diversity as they possibly can. Some current discounts UIndy students receive are at Papa Johns, Enzo’s Pizza, Donatos Pizza and the Children’s Museum. Vitangeli also wants students to be able to express exactly where they would like to get discounts.
“We really would encourage students to take their ideas to student government and even encourage them to re-formalize that discount program so that there are a list of places that students know they can go,” Vitangeli said.
Vitangeli also wants students to be able to get discounts from places such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s, so that wherever students go, they can know that they have some kind of discount.
“Target or Walmart would be great for discounts or even a grocery store like Aldi,” said freshman music technology major Adam Mihal. “Barnes and Noble discounts would be really nice to have, too, since a lot of students like to read on their down time. ”
Freshman psychology and pre-physical therapy assistant major Andrea Kuiper also agrees with the new discount ideas.
“It would make me a lot less stressed out if I could get what I needed at a lower price,” Kuiper said. “Especially when it comes to getting food. That’s an essential part of dorm life.”
Another idea that Vitangeli said she wants to get hold of is the idea of students wanting to go to certain sporting events such as Colts games, or even to the symphony in the city. She and the student government want students to express their wishes to get tickets to these sorts of functions so that they can try their best to get the students a discount. Vitangeli said she is determined to get students and the university involved with the city as much as possible.
Discounts are prominent within UIndy and students are advised to take advantage of them. So if there is something that a student desires to be given a discount for they should most definitely visit all the resources at hand here. Student government has meetings every week so students are more than welcome to share their ideas with those involved.
Overall, do not be afraid to ask for what you want, most of the time other students will probably want the same thing. Whether it is food or even a trip downtown to a museum, there are always people to help students budget along the way.
