This week marks a landmark in the development of the ID system at ETSU. As of Jan. 30, a new feature allows students to deposit money to their ID Bucs account using the Internet.

“We are responding to requests by students and parents,” said Dr Tony Warner, assistant vice president for the university center/ID services.

The new system has two functions. One is an account manager, which requires students to enter their IDs and a password. The second is a quick deposit function, where only the student ID is needed to deposit money.

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, parents and students will now be able to deposit money from their homes.

At the same time, students, by using the account manager function, may check their balance. They may also receive a list of all transactions that have occurred on their account in the past month.

Charles Forrester, the ID systems director, stated that in many cases parents would call and give their credit card numbers over the phone. This involves a lot of paperwork, including mailing them a receipt.

This is also a very insecure way of depositing money.

By using the computer, this will eliminate the need to take charges over the phone, though by no means will this option be removed.

“It’s a lot safer than by voice,” Warner said. “It’s fully encrypted and no one at ETSU will ever see your credit card number.”

Thus far, there have been absolutely no problems with the system while it was being installed and tested. “The interface is costing about $9,000 up front, as well as a standard maintenance fee,” Warner said.

There is a 2.75-percent charge for every deposit made, however, this money goes to pay for the maintenance charges, thereby making the system completely self-supporting.

Another benefit of this system is that students, should they run out of their 500 free printouts, will be able to immediately deposit money and continue printing, even when the ID Office is closed.

“If students were working on a Saturday or Sunday, they could put money on their account immediately, and never get up from their computer,” Forrester said.

This new system promises to help make student’s lives a little more convenient.

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