The university has not yet made a policy for the Bulldog Card, the universal form of ID for Fresno State students. When students put money onto their card, there is still nothing to let students know they cannot have their money back if it̢۪s not used up by graduation.

In an August 2008 article in The Collegian, Chris Robinson, the university controller, said a refund policy was in the works and remained a priority.

Six months later, nothing has changed. And, there is no notice posted at the campus PHIL stations, where students refill the cards, about the fact there is no refund policy.

Many students on campus don̢۪t know about what the Bulldog Card can do or don̢۪t use it much. The Bulldog Card, which the university switched to in the fall from the old student ID, can be used like a debit card for printing on campus, for food court purchases, and for discounts on off-campus activities. Students can load money onto their cards at three PHIL stations. One is located on the second floor of the University Student Union, one is in the Peters Business building, room 133, and one is in the new library on the collection level, which is on the lower level.

There are 7,383 accounts with money on them. Of that, 7,272 accounts have balances less than $20. Only six accounts have a balance greater than $100. The other 105 accounts have balances between $20 and $100.

Anel Mora, a sophomore, doesn̢۪t use her Bulldog Card for anything but printing.

“I just put $5 on it for when I need copies,â€Â said Mora, a student who has been using her Bulldog Card for the past two years. She hasn’t used it for food, she said.

Ryan Steuk, a senior studying criminology, used his card as a freshmen and sophomore to make copies and as a meal plan, but has not since due to the no refund policy.

“That was a big reason why I stopped using it. It is not reasonable for me to put money onto it if I’ll never have the chance to get it back,â€Â Steuk said.

This is the first year that the university has offered so many options for the card and it still doesn̢۪t quite know what else to offer students. Robinson has looked into two other state schools to see what they do.

On its Web site, San Diego State University said it works with U.S. Bank Aztec to give a free checking account for the students̢۪ ID card. The card can be used as their ATM card to pay for charges both on campus and off.

“We offer refunds to students or tell them to close out their card,â€Â Jessica Lopez, administrative support assistant, said in a phone interview.

If students want a refund, they have to fill out a form and the refund will be sent in the mail within four to six weeks.

At Long Beach State, a $25 fee will be charged for refunded balances, according to the school̢۪s Web site. If students have less than $25 left on their accounts, no refunds are allowed, according to Donna Soto, manager of ID card services at Long Beach.

“There are 37,000 students and they don’t tend to put huge amounts on their cards so if they money is left, we encourage them to spend it,â€Â Soto said.

For students graduating from Long Beach, they may close their card at any time by completing the required form and will be sent their refund in the mail within two weeks.

With these two schools as possible examples, Robinson said the university wants feedback from Fresno State students about what to do with the card here and how to make it better.

For students who graduated this past December, nothing has happened to the money on their cards.

“Their money is just sitting on their accounts until we decide what to do with it,â€Â Robinson said.

Robinson hopes to develop a written policy by the end of the semester.