Cash can burn a hole in a student’s pocket or get lost in the laundry. One solution is to open an account at a bank or credit union.
Many banks and credit unions have automatic teller machine services on campus. The EMU has ATMs for First Tech Credit Union, US Bank, Washington Mutual, Oregon Community Credit Union and Wells Fargo. Other ATMs are located on East 13th Avenue near the University Bookstore.
US Bank at the corner of East 13th Avenue and Alder Street is the campus’s closest full-service bank branch. Manager Jeff Kister said the bank also gets a lot of customers from Sacred Heart Medical Center, nearby businesses and the surrounding residential area.
US Bank offers free student checking and special savings accounts for students, according to the US Bank Web site.
Other banks also have special service packages designed for college students.
Wells Fargo offers College Checking, which includes a free check card and free online account access, and the College Visa Card, which has low introductory rates and no annual fees, according to the Wells Fargo Web site.
Bank of America’s CampusEdge Checking is free for five years for students whose parents have Bank of America accounts. This also includes a free check card and free online account access. The Stuff Happens card is good for a one-time refund of an unexpected service fee, such as an overdraft or insufficient funds fee, according to the Bank of America Web site.
Junior journalism major Nikki Corliss recommended the services of First Tech Credit Union.
“I mainly picked them because my parents picked them,” Corliss said. “It’s not like I did extra research – but I’ve definitely been happy with them.”
Corliss said the credit union has a lot of programs for children, which she was involved with, that culminate in getting a debit card and a credit card by age 18. She said she especially likes the online banking, savings and loan services, although she said the lack of tellers and ATMs in the Eugene area is a disadvantage.
Credit unions differ from banks in that they are owned by their members instead of far-off shareholders, said Laura Illig, director of marketing at Oregon Community Credit Union.
“(The banks’) goal is to make as much money as possible for their shareholders,” Illig said. “We come at it from a different direction.”
The Oregon Community Credit Union, established in 1956 by University employees, now serves people in 10 Oregon counties. It offers services similar to those of most banks, such as free student checking.
Illig said many students join the credit union, and one of the credit union’s current challenges is finding ways to keep these students as members if they move out of the area after graduation. Two new branches have been built in Portland for this reason.
To give members easier access to their money, Illig said the credit union is part of Shared Branching, an arrangement between credit unions worldwide, which allows members to use other credit unions’ ATMs for free.

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