Results of ASUP survey to determine which bank is represented on
By Christina Moran '07
Students now hold the power to determine which bank will have an ATM on campus next year. ASUP is currently conducting an ATM survey in coordination with the University Controller's Office to consider alternatives to the current Washington Mutual ATM.
The survey can be filled out online through the My Announcements portal on PilotsUP.
According to ASUP President Sarah Carroll, the survey asks five questions and takes one to two minutes to fill out.
Questions include: "What bank do you use?" "How often during the week you use an ATM?" and "Do you have access to a car?"
Students without cars are more reliant on the campus ATM, Carroll said.
Washington Mutual was chosen as the ATM on campus through a survey conducted by ASUP years ago. Back then the bank did not charge fees to use its ATM, which made the bank attractive to college students. Now that fees have been instituted, usage has gone down 8 percent, according to Carroll.
Another statistic is that 42 percent of the transactions that go through the ATM are non-Washington Mutual transactions, according to Carroll. She says that is a "high percentage" that might indicate the need for an ATM from a different bank.
Carroll stresses the importance of the survey, because not all statistics are tracked by the on-campus ATM. For example, there may be a larger number of students using off-campus ATMs that are unseen.
University Controller George Battistel emphasizes the importance of the ATM survey as an opportunity for students to be heard.
"We want to find the ATM that is most attractive to student use," Battistel said.The administration collects a standard fee from Washington Mutual in order for its ATM to be on campus, but as far as other banks go the fee is consistent between companies.Since most ATMs charge fees, the likely choice for the bank will be one that the majority of polled students use, according to Battistel.
Battistel says that there is always the fact every student will not be satisfied with the ATM. He says the onus is on the students to decide, and if they don't fill out the survey then they have no one but themselves to blame.
Furthermore, banks have expressed interest in moving a branch onto campus. Battistel would like to see this, but points to limitation of space as a big factor in why this probably will not happen.
However, with the possible addition of new land, a branch on campus is always a possibility, according to Battistel.
The controller's office will make its decision on April 15. Although the ATM, if removed, will not be removed until the end of May, the office still needs time to schedule removal and replacement.
According to Carroll, the possibility of two ATMs will be explored, but precedence shows that banks are likely to sign a non-competitive contract that will make them the only ATM on campus.
