Hi there,
I am a first-year student that will be studying at the St. George Campus come September.
1. From the T-card website, regular office hours are 9-5 from Monday to Friday. Will they open for extra office hours from August 31 to September 1st to accommodate those who come from out of Ontario and move in to residences on September 1st?
2. I heard that meal plans are linked to t-cards. Basically, I am concerned that without a t-card, my meal plan cannot be activated and I won’t be able to get any food. Would I have to wait until September 3rd to get food from my meal plan?
3. If the t-card office sticks to their regular office hours, the problem is that I also signed up for orientation which begins at 9:00 and probably ends around 4:30. I have heard that there are usually long lines at the beginning of September to get t-cards. If I arrive at 4:30, will staff turn me away so that the office can close at 5pm, or will whoever lines up before 5pm get their t-cards regardless of how much time it takes to get the job done?
Thank you very much!
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Heyo first-year
So prepare yourself for some not-the-greatest news:
1. Extra hours…. hmmmmm.
Personally, I’ve never heard of that happening, and I asked a few people and they say the same thing. Just assume that the hours will remain as they are, and if you’re reaaaaally bursting with curiosity, contact the TCard Office and ask them.
2. Okay so browsing through UeaT’s FAQ, they seem to be working on the basis that “no TCard, no Meal Plan” and say you need to use “acceptable methods of payments” instead.
Which, of course, it totally doable.
Most places on campus are open to some hard cash. Likewise, you can just… you know, get OFF campus and gallivant over to some random food places.
If you’re around St. George and Bloor, there’s this awesome grilled cheese place. I love the pulled pork grilled cheese. Mmmmmm. And if you’re around Spadina and Bloor, I say go to Pita Q and get a delicious shawarma. Or get a burrito down the street. Or get some fro-yo! Lots of places over there!
And then if you’re on the more southern part of Spadina… well, I vote indulge in some all you can eat sushi. Or maybe some pho. Or lemon chicken. Or mmmmm dim sum.
And if you’re closer to the south side of Queen’s Park, there’s a food court there too. Not my favourite place, admittedly, but if you can live off of Subway for a day or two, there’s one there.
And there’s also another Subway just across from the ROM if you’re in that area. But if you’re more in the Vic/St. Mike’s range, you can walk over to the Yorkville places. There’s this reasonably priced fairly decent sushi place on Charles St., and I quite like the 7 West Cafe there too. Like they have this “Diamonds and Pearls” cake that is to die for. It’s a layer of red velvet, then cheesecake, then red velvet, then cheesecake, and then some cream cheese frosting. DELICIOUS.
Anyhow, you’re definitely not bound by your meal plan, and even smaller, by your freaking TCard. Sure, it sucks that your Meal Plan may take a day or two to become accessible, but in the end it works out cuz bam — opportunities!
3. Getting your TCard doesn’t take that long. If I remember correctly, they basically glance at your acceptance letter, glance at your ID, take an unflattering photo of you, and then print in a couple of minutes.
Anyhow, I suppose if you come at 4:30 pm, they’ll help you, but I guess the latest they’d take someone is at like… 4:45 pm?
And really, if you’re that person who comes at 4:57 pm, I’d make sure I took the most hideous photo of you possible.
But if you look at their hours, you’ll see that they ARE open until 7:00 pm on Tuesday, so do go then. Most offices will have one day a week where they’re open a bit later than usual to accommodate people who can’t come during normal business hours.
So if you can’t make it by 4:45 pm, don’t be that asshole who comes right before closing.
Do the humane thing and come on Tuesday.
Cheers!
aska