In a Novo-eat-Novo world, the scramble to use up one’s flex dollars before the semester ends is getting sticky. Flex dollars come with student meal plans where students can purchase snacks, drinks, sandwiches and more at the Boars Head on campus. New College provides an additional 100 flex dollars during January, where classes are replaced with independent study projects (ISP). Flex dollars do not roll over per year, only per semester. With a use it or lose mentality, students flex their flex dollars in a last minute attempt to empty their accounts and take advantage of the breadth of snacks and goodies. 

“It’s frustrating,” first-year Brenna Magliacane told the Catalyst. “I know I will never be able to use all of this money in time before the semester ends. I don’t like having a lot of stuff. I use every amount of money I have on other people. I have all this money and I wish I could put it in my bank account.” 

College students are not used to this life of luxury. Those who were previously on a budget can buy their friends coffees and an endless supply of Cliff Bars. 

“I love having all this money. Everything that I don’t buy normally I can buy at the little Boars Head shop. I have had to buy so much because I didn’t even know I had flex dollars last semester. They have these protein shakes that are normally very expensive but since I have the ‘boar bucks’ I can afford them. I can use ‘fake money,’” first-year Max Harmon said. 

“I feel like a sugar daddy to all my friends. I love buying the Hershey’s Chocolate pretzel things. Those are insane,” thesis student Lex Gorman said.