Tuesday, June 2, 2015

First Canadian university bookstore takes Bitcoin

Digital currency on campus: buy Bitcoin and books at SFU - SFU News, Simon Fraser University - Justin Wong:

May 26, 2015 - "Simon Fraser University (SFU) is the first Canadian post-secondary institution to accept Bitcoin for the purchase of textbooks, and to install automated Bitcoin vending machines (AVMs) campus-wide.

"The bookstores at each of the three campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey have already installed the AVMS and [are] accept[ing] the virtual currency for retail transactions beginning May 26.

"'It is our mission to challenge and engage students and provide them with learning opportunities not only inside the classroom but also outside,' says Mark McLaughlin, executive director of ancillary services.

"'SFU has one of North America’s most prominent Bitcoin student clubs and they have asked us to help introduce Bitcoin to the SFU community. As a university focused on innovation, we want to provide our students the opportunity to try digital currencies like Bitcoin through AVMs and within the bookstore and other retail locations on campus'....

"All of this is about more than just using Bitcoin to buy textbooks or support academia. McLaughlin says it will foster a dialogue about the future of currency and disruptive technologies. Vancouver is developing into the Canadian hub for digital finance and SFU wants to play an enabling role in its development, he says.

"'What we’re trying to do is get students to talk about innovation and try Bitcoin,' says McLaughlin. 'The only way to have an opinion about digital currencies is to learn about it, and we are providing a first-hand experience.'"

Read more: http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2015/digital-currency-on-campus-buy-bitcoin-and-books-at-sfu.html
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