- by Sarah Bullock

BCC students will be receiving a BCC Debit Card from HigherOne in the mail, if they have not received one already, for the first time this semester.

The BCC Debit Card is not a credit card, but a debit MasterCard from HigherOne. All student aid refunds are available only through the activation of the BCC Debit Card. Paper checks will not be sent through the mail.

Once students receive their card they must go to BCCDebitCard.com to activate it. Since the BCC Debit Card will be used to disburse refunds for all following semesters, all students should activate their card even if they are not expecting to receive a refund this semester.

Once the card is activated, students are given three options for receiving their refunds: open a FDIC checking account with HigherOne, direct deposit funds into an existing account, or request a paper check be mailed from HigherOne. If students chose to open a checking account with HigherOne, the BCC Debit Card becomes the debit card for that account.

The switch from checks to the BCC Debit Card was initiated by Vice President for Administrative & Financial Affairs Grant F. Newton. According to Newton, the HigherOne debit card system offered savings to the college by eliminating the costs associated with mailing checks, such as stamps, envelopes, check stock, and employee time spent manually handling each check while providing students with speedy availability to their refund. Students who choose to receive their refund via opening a checking account with HigherOne gain access to their financial aid the same day that their card is activated, while students who choose direct deposit can access their money three days later. Paper checks arrive in the mail five days after activation.

Previously, students were required to pick up their first check in person with a picture id; subsequent checks were mailed in batches every Friday.

Newton became aware of HigherOne’s debit card service at a Community College Budget Officers Association Conference, he stated. After watching other colleges make the transition, especially SUNY Oswego, BCC decided to make the leap as well. The fall 2009 semester was chosen as the conversion semester since the college is currently digitizing financial records into an administrative system that HigherOne is compatible with.

Bursar Julie Lakin and Controller Jeanette Tillotson had also been investigating electronic disbursement systems for several years before HigherOne was settled on. An initial analysis into direct deposit for refunds was conducted in the Fall of 2004 through the Spring of 2005 after prompting from students, said Tillotson, but the method was eventually abandoned since the funds would not have been available to students any faster than paper checks as the students had hoped.

According to Newton, BCC is currently operating within HigherOne’s six-month trial period. After the six months are up, the option to receive checks in the mail from HigherOne will be deactivated by BCC. Students who have chosen to receive their refunds by check during these first six months will continue to receive their paper checks through a grandfather clause even after that option is rescinded for incoming students.

Students’ reactions to the BCC Debit Card have varied. Many have confused the card with a credit card and thrown it away. Lakin explained that since the program started after the end of the spring 2009 semester, most students were not around to see the posters and advertisements for the card provided by HigherOne and therefore were not expecting to receive it. Students may also have confused their ability to choose a “refund preference” of either a HigherOne checking account, direct deposit or paper check with the program itself being a preference.

Students who shredded the BCC Debit Card after confusing it with a credit card are encouraged by Lakin and Tillotson to contact the Students Account Office by Sept. 30, either in person or by phone, to receive a free replacement card. Students who have already paid the twenty dollar replacement fee for the card will be reimbursed via their chosen method of refund. Students who lost their card after activating it are not eligible for the refund.

Steven MacAbee is one such student who initially confused the BCC Debit Card with a credit card. However, once he understood the program he thought it was a great idea and liked how getting away from a paper check would benefit the environment and save some trees. MacAbee felt that sending out a notification that the BCC Debit Card would be arriving either by mail or email would have decreased the misunderstanding.

Another student who requested that her name not be mentioned stated that she too was confused at first. However, she preferred the BCC Card to a check.

Shin is an international student from South Korea taking classes at BCC to save some money while he attends Binghamton. He had not received a BCC Debit Card in the mail nor had he heard about it. He had seen some posters around but didn’t know what it was about.

Despite the initial confusion, 90% of all BCC students have chosen to receive their refunds electronically, stated Don Smith, Director of Client Marketing and PR Communications for HigherOne.