Students looking to easily monitor their balances of campus dining dollars may soon be able to do so from the comfort of their dorm rooms, according to Student Union officials.While concrete plans for the new service have yet to be developed, the officials said they hope to develop a Web site that would allow students to track dining points and meal plan allotments. The new system could also potentially allow students to add WhoCash, which is accepted by merchants around Waltham, to their accounts by using a credit card online.

"If we got the ball rolling now, it could be implemented over the summer, and [possibly] take effect this coming fall," Union Vice President Aaron Gaynor '07 said.

The idea was born out of a suggestion made to Jason Gray '10, now the Union's Massell Quad senator, during his campaign for office. Other Union officials expressed interest in the idea when Gray presented the idea to the senate.

"We're in the 21st century, yet our meal plan systems are way behind," Gray said, adding that other area schools already have systems in which meal balances are placed on-line.

Gaynor, who is working with Gray on the project, cited Harvard's CrimsonCash as a "totally online system... That's what we want."

Administrators who spoke to the Justice also expressed interest.

"These are projects that are really fun, and we really like being ableto do them," said Perry Hanson, the head of Library and Information Technology Services. "It's never a question of 'Can you do it?'; it's just an issue of people, time and money."

Head of University Services Mark Collins, who oversees the Campus Card Office and dining services, called the project "feasible," stressing the importance of working with LTS.

"The product cost is not as much a concern to me as is the cost of implementation," Collins said. "We've got a lot more needs than we have resources. A funding source for the payment of any upgrades and/or new systems needs to be identified."

Hanson said before the project comes to fruition, it must go through the discovery phase, during which discussions with the Campus Card Office, analyses of the current system and student focus groups will occur.

Gray and Gaynor said giving students the ability to add WhoCash online with a credit card will be a beneficial and convenient service.

"The ability to add to your WhoCash with a credit card will help students who need to add money quickly-even if it's just enough to do a load of laundry, Gray said. "Waiting for your parents to send a check doesn't seem very efficient.