The University will meet with M&T Bank next week to finalize details to install a 24-hour access ATM in the Old Union.
Officials haven’t announced whether the new ATM will replace, or be installed in addition to, a machine in the New Union. Either way, the machine is likely to be new because 24-hour-access ATMs have different features than regular machines.
According to Student Association President Mike Smyth, ATMs ought to be spread more evenly across campus and installing one in the Old Union will better serve students.
Smyth has speculated that M&T’s contract with the University coming to an end may have motivated the bank to improve their service to BU students.
It is still not certain who will pay for the upgrade, but according JoAnn Novarro, interim associate vice president for Campus Community Services, the cost of installing the new machine would probably be shared between the University and M&T.
The exact location of the new machine has not been decided, but as the Old Union lobby is not open 24-hours, Novarro said it is likely the new machine will be accessible from the outside of the building.
“We have some rough ideas but we still need to work out the logistics,” Navarro said.
James Koval, director of the University Union, said it will probably face the Dickinson Dining Hall, where the Union’s 24-hour-access ATM was located before M&T removed it four years ago.
Until the new location is confirmed, the extent of construction work involved will not be known, but Karen Fennie, a spokeswoman from Physical Facilities, does not anticipate the installation to be a difficult task.
“We installed one over the summer at the Events Center,” she said. “It’s not that big a project.”