IUSA execs plan to use summer to look into ATMs, business fees

The IU Student Association is staying busy this summer.\nNew members of the IUSA executive board have moved into their offices and are making the transition to lead the student body. The executives include seniors Emily Kolles, treasurer, Jake Oakman, president, junior Chris Smith, vice president for congress and sophomore Jeff Wuslich, vice president for administration.\nOne of the major issues for the members of IUSA who are staying in Bloomington this summer is ATM machines on campus.\nWhile senior Jolene Carper, a co-director of services for IUSA, was running on the Supernova ticket, she realized the fee students pay to use ATMs on campus is a big problem.\n"There was an overwhelming response (from students) about the problem with the ATMs," said Carper, who is leading the project.\nLast year, Bank One ATMs were available to students at many campus locations. Students had and still have Bank One accounts, and there was no fee to use them.\nThis year, students travel off campus to use the Bank One ATM machines to avoid the bank and ATM fees from machines on campus. The members of IUSA are looking into why Bank One dropped their service at IU.\n"There are all kinds of stories about why Bank One left," Carper said.\nIn September, the IDS reported that Bank One decided to stop paying an annual fee to take up University space.\n"There was no incentive for the institution to allow (Bank One) to stay," Patrick Smith, assistant director of purchasing, told the IDS in September. "We can't let them stay and not allow that for other banks."\nThe University proceeded to install its own ATMs, with a 75-cent fee.\nRegardless of the reason, IUSA wants to get a bank's services back on campus before the fall semester begins so students can use ATM machines without the fee.\n"Bank One is our first choice," Wuslich said.\nCarper said she has made initial contact with Bank One, but she is still waiting for their response.\nIUSA is resolving the ATM issue because of students' responses to the problem. IUSA said it depends on feedback from students and the IU administration to pinpoint problems that need solutions on campus.\n"I wish there was more student input," Oakman said. "I don't think there's enough, but there's some."\nBecause of student input, IUSA is also investigating the purpose for the $200 undergraduate business fee that business students have been required to pay.