There are countless memes about broke college students, but there are also countless perks that many students are not aware of.
The LoboPerks program is a partnership between the UNM community and businesses at local and national levels. The purpose of the program is to acquire discounts for individuals connected to the University.
Carolyn Hartley, manager of ID Card Services at UNM, launched the program in 2011 with 19 vendors. Today, LoboPerks work in conjunction with over 200 active partner participants.
“I happened to find a similar program at another university and thought it would be a cool thing for us to have here. So when I got the go-ahead from my boss, I said ‘Ok, let’s get it done,’” Hartley said.
The program is free for both vendors and clients. The only thing needed to use the discounts is a LoboCard, the official UNM ID card carried by students, faculty and staff.
The program’s model has subsets of the community to show who can use specific discounts. The subsets use the acronym “SHEAR” which refers to students, hospital staff and medical residents, employees, alumni and retirees.
“Our overall goal is to try to help everybody, not just students,” Hartley said. “We want to help everyone who is associated with the University, however and wherever we can help.”
The most popular LoboPerks categories include automotive, health/fitness, foods/restaurants, fun/entertainment, house/home and phones/accessories, but those are only some of over 30 categories for students to look at.
The discounts offered cover a large variety of products and services including $50 off jewelry, 10 percent discounts on bicycle services and accessories, and 20 percent off amusement park rides.
“The one I use the most is probably Jiffy Lube,” Hartley said. “It’s not the most luxurious thing out there but it sure does help.”
Help with taxes is another offer Hartley said is useful and that more people should take advantage.
“If they can get their taxes done for free and have professional help, that’s a really cool thing,” she said. “There are online places where you can do it, but some people might have trouble understanding and if you can get a professional to help you, why not do that?”
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After filing taxes, other LoboPerks offers might serve as inspiration for what to do with the refunded money students may receive.
There’s a 10 percent discount for those interested in buying a bus, $21 dollars off a hypnotherapy session and free registration for a martial arts school, among other more eccentric deals.
“There’s a lot of interesting ones,” Hartley said. “There’s a man who is a psychic, under the alternative healing category. He’s been here almost since the beginning of the program.”
LoboPerks also encourages members of the community to submit suggestions on other vendors they would like to see included in the program. Hartley says that the more people get involved, the more beneficial the program will be for everyone.
“Tuition can be expensive. This is our way to give back and help out,” she said. “Even if it’s helping indirectly, this could still make a little bit of a difference.”
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
