De Anza is reviewing a proposal by US Bank to add ATM functionality to the De Anza Associated Student Body ID card.

The proposition stipulates that the ID will function as a bank card only for those students who elect to open a US Bank checking account. Receiving a card will not automatically open an account. However, every card holder will be given a 16-digit ID number that can be used to activate the ATM portion of their card. The ID number will function as their US Bank account number.

Jeanine Hawk, vice president of Finance and College services, is part of a committee in charge of negotiating the proposal with US Bank. If approved, De Anza might distribute the new student ID card next fall.

“The benefits of this proposed plan are that students will have the option of not having to carry as many cards with them, and that it might also make it more worthwhile for students to get a DASB card,” Hawk said.

Since the card is funded by through DASB funds, it is the DASB Senate that decides whether or not the cards will function with an ATM.

“At this point I’m operating like a business associate to negotiate the best deal for De Anza students, so that when the Senate finally sees a proposition and votes on whether or not to approve it, they see one that they can really consider,” said Hawk.

The US Bank logo is to be placed on the back of the card, measuring 3/8″ high. It will be in black and white.

“The card will look essentially the same as it does now, except that on the back of the card in the right hand corner there will be the logo. So it’s minimally invasive in terms of corporate marketing,” Hawk said.

The proposition stipulates that the card numbers and the cards themselves will belong to De Anza, to prevent ATM fraud. Like with any other debit card, one would need both the card itself and its pin number to steal from a person’s account.

Other businesses which were interested in endorsing the Foothill-De Anza Community College district included Wells Fargo and a local credit union. US Bank won the bid because it charged the lowest transaction fee for non-US Bank customers at its full-service ATM machine, which De Anza now has in its Campus Center.

Unlike credit cards that have limits, when a checking account is empty and its debit card is swiped, a machine will not stop the transaction. This can cause “overdraft fees” of $25-35 for every single transaction when an account has a negative balance.

Vice president of College Services Robert Griffin said, “This is certainly a concern of ours and is an issue we have been discussing. Something we’ve been throwing out there is the idea of having classes available at De Anza on how to manage your checking account so that students don’t have those problems.”

At the DASB meeting, where senators were skeptical about the possibilities of the proposition, John Cognetta, DASB Senate Adviser said, “It is understandable that [students] have questions about this issue. I was one of the few privileged to read the proposal itself, and all it did was raise more questions in my mind.”

The final draft of the proposition will be available to DASB senators in a few weeks.