Citibank makes decision to remove machine, citing low number of transactions

Walking past the lone brick structure just outside of McLane Hall, what once housed the Citibank ATM is now simply inhabited by three soda machines and anybody who needs a shady resting spot.

In May of 2008, Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Operations Debbie Adishian-Astone explained that it took one day for the Citibank ATM to be removed, and left in its place was a posted sign indicating where nearby ATMs were located.

“We did not require them to remove the ATM off campus; they did it on their own,â€Â Adishian-Astone said. “There just weren’t enough transactions to warrant the location.â€Â

She explained that as a part of the Save Mart Center campaign, there were several categories for corporate sponsorship and the first successful banking proposal was made by Cal Fed for that location. Eventually, Citibank acquired Cal Fed and the ATMs were switched out until the six-year banking relationship expired last year.

Typically, Adishian-Astone said contracts are dependent on the business liaison with Fresno State and can vary with each company. The Golden 1 Credit Union branch manager Mary Lucio explained that the credit union leased the space in the USU pavilion and has had a banking sponsorship with the school for 11 years.

“We get a lot of activity,â€Â Lucio said. “I don’t foresee us moving out unless they eliminate the whole building.â€Â

With an additional ATM machine situated within the pavilion and one also placed inside The Bucket, Lucio believes that Golden 1 Credit Union services are more accessible to students who are apart of different financial companies, and that this may have played a role in Citibank̢۪s departure.

“Maybe there wasn’t a lot of use,â€Â Lucio said. “More people belong to credit unions than they do banks.â€Â

Twenty-one-year old Sandy Xiong falls into this group and has belonged to EECU for four years. The business management major explained that she preferred using Golden 1 Credit Union because there is no extra charge, but found the idea of having an outside ATM appealing.

“I think it would be convenient if they had another ATM outside because you don’t have access to an ATM if it’s after hours,â€Â Xiong said.

Despite these concerns, Adishian-Astone explained that auxiliary operations received very few complaints from students after the machine was removed. While there were students who utilized the ATM, one of the reasons why Citibank decided to move was because there clearly wasn̢۪t a lot of activity, Adishian-Astone said.

This seemed to be the case for the ATM that was eliminated from the Student Recreation Center because of the low amount of transactions. Adishian-Astone said that they try to make sure there are ATMs available across the campus and specified the locations of the two machines in The Bucket as well as in the Atrium.

Though the business hours for both buildings are limited, Adishian-Astone explained that the USU is where more students interact because of its central location and is available to students until 12 a.m. everyday. She also said that while they have not been able to find a new sponsor to replace that ATM location, they are still looking into alternative sites for future ATMs.

“Another opportunity that I have not explored, but might be a possibility, is the library,â€Â Adishian-Astone said. “I can see if they’re interested in having one put in given the amount of traffic within the library.â€Â

The need for more ATMs in not as imperative as it once was, and Adishian-Astone explained that before two years ago, dining service operations did not accept debit or credit cards. Now that this is a possibility for cashiers, they are exploring alternative uses for the brick kiosk.

“At one time, the police department was going to use that building for a bike storage area,â€Â Adishian-Astone said. “Given that we don’t think there is any use of the building anymore, we may take that out and open up that area of campus and figure out something different for that location.â€Â

Additional reporting by Marcus Fabro.