Notre Dame enhances fine arts programs ♦

A b r a n c h o f N o tre D am e F e d e r a l C re d i t U n ion in L a F o r tu n e Student Center will be t­ ter serve s tuden ts’ needs than the Key Bank office it r e p la c e d , U n ive rs i ty officials said. The move happened in early August, bu t plans for the change began in April. With Key B ank’s l e a s e e x p i r i n g in l a t e J u ly , N o t r e D am e p u t the student center base­ m e n t s p a c e u p for bid a n d a l lo w e d b a n k s to submit proposals. T h e U n iv e r s i ty c o n ­ tro l le r ’s office also d is­ t r i b u t e d a s u r v e y via campus e-mail to gauge s tudents’ banking needs, said Nancy Majerik, the office’s cash manager. Officials used the s u r ­ vey to establish selection criteria. “It told us the different things s tuden ts wanted: low fe e s , good h o u r s , face-to-face banking and ATMs and other services b a n k s o f fe r to c o n ­ s t i t u e n t s , ” s a id B r ia n C o u g h l in , d i r e c t o r of Student Activities. A f te r e v a lu a t in g th e b id s , a l e a s e b o a r d chose NDFCU as the best candidate. “NDFCU m ade the best offer — they charged no f e e s , h a d l ive t e l l e r s , could staff a full service b ra n c h and w ere m o re willing to be open m ore h o u r s t h a n a r e g u l a r bank ,” Coughlin said. T h e b a n k ’s m a in b r a n c h is lo c a te d j u s t n o r t h o f c a m p u s a t 19033 Douglas Road. S e n io r C r i s t i n a Ceballos said creating an o n -cam p u s b ra n c h w as practical for s tudents. “I ’m exc i ted b e c a u s e i t ’s m o r e c o n v e n i e n t than walking all the way to Douglas,” she said. Key B an k , h o w e v e r , w as d is a p p o in te d w ith t h e c h a n g e , s a id spokesman Ken Baierl. “We have always p ro ­ v id e d goo d s e r v i c e to N o tre D am e s t u d e n t s , a n d w e t h o u g h t t h a t because of our long re la ­ t ionsh ip th a t we would c o n t in u e to o p e r a t e in LaFortune,” he said. Key Bank sen t le t te rs to i ts c u s t o m e r s w h o u s e d th e L a F o r t u n e office, informing them of the change and inviting them to use the b a n k ’s U n iv e r s i ty P a rk Mall branch. Baierl sa id it was too ear ly to tell if s tu d en ts w o u ld c lo s e t h e i r accounts with Key Bank, b u t so m e s tu d e n t s say m a i n t a i n i n g t h e i r accoun ts with the bank w o u ld be too in c o n v e ­ nient. Junior Dave Barrett, a Key Bank m em ber, said h e h a s o p e n e d an a c c o u n t w i th NDFCU an d will a llow his Key Bank account to lie dor­ m a n t du r in g the school year. “I have a lw ays m a in ­ t a i n e d my Key B ank a c c o u n t a t s c h o o l b e c a u se I can use it at home also,” said Barrett, w ho is f rom M aine . “I feel c h e a te d b e c a u se I came back expecting my bank to be in LaFortune, and now it isn’t .” The new NDFCU office w ill o p e r a t e M o nday t h r o u g h W e d n e s d a y from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. a n d T h u r s d a y a n d Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.