News Writing (1st draft)

Jacob Johnson
Dr. Tinberg
ENG 101 - A07
10/18/10

“accessBCC Refund Card—a source of new opportunity”

As the Fall semester begins, BCC students should expect to find a bright green envelope in the mail. This envelope will contain the student’s accessBCC Refund Card—part of a system which is advertised as revolutionizing the way BCC handles refunds. The primary purpose of the card is to aid the refunding process, however, its uses certainly do not end there. As more and more students have this cards in hand, it is essential to learn how to properly use this new opportunity.

These new Refund Cards are a result of a partnership with HigherOne—a financial service company which focuses on higher education. These cards expedites the formally lengthy process, by making refunds available in a matter of days rather than weeks. If a students chooses to, when they activate their account, they may choose to allow their card to work as a fully functional debit card. This debit card may be used on campus—such as at the bookstore—but may also be used off campus like a standard debit card.

The new refund options available are varied. Opposed to having their refund placed on their accessBCC Refund Card, students may choose to wait 2–3 days to have their refunds deposited into their personal bank account. A more time consuming option, however, is to request a refund in the form of a check, a process which will take roughly 2–3 weeks.

Backed by the MasterCard network, refunds can be immediately added to a student’s accessBCC Refund Card account as well as any deposits a student wishes to make to this account. There are two HigherOne ATMs on the Fall River campus, allowing local students to withdraw money from their account while at school as needed without any fees.

This system uses the internet in attempts to keep the process as simple and easy as possible. Once their account is activated, students can choose how they would like their refunds to be processed. This process can take place entirely online. Literally, students are never more than a few clicks away from find any information about their account. This option is one of many that come with this new service.