DATE: Friday, September 12, 1997            TAG: 9709120599

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG                      LENGTH:   62 lines

AT WILLIAM & MARY, STUDENTS' DEBIT CARDS NOW APPLY OFF CAMPUS

Students at the College of William and Mary now have another payment option for their pizza, ice cream and even music-store runs: a debit account built into their student ID cards.

The college's on-campus debit card system, known as the William and Mary Express, was expanded this fall to include a number of off-campus businesses. The card is swiped through a machine, the amount automatically deducted from the student's account and the purchase made.

No change, or trips to an ATM, necessary.

``It's just incredibly convenient for students, and it's good for businesses,'' said Charles Maimone, director of auxiliary services, the department overseeing the system.

Seven area merchants accept the cards, and nine more have signed agreements with the college, Maimone said. Businesses must agree to pay a 5 percent sales commission to the college, and they must pay a $350 fee to hook up their equipment to W&M's system.

The off-campus program is an expansion of a debit card system installed on campus last year. Since then, students have used their cards for on-campus meals and for copier and laundry service.

Students, faculty and staff deposited $849,000 into the system last year, and W&M expects about $1.3 million in deposits this year, Maimone said. He did not have a figure of deposits to date.

Once a student makes a deposit - using cash, credit cards or checks - his or her identification card starts to work as a debit card. Purchases can be made only if money is in the account, which is what makes debit cards different from credit cards.

Faculty and staff also can have their pay applied automatically to their card account, Maimone said. Money left over in accounts carries over from year to year, with refunds made when the card holder graduates or leaves the school.

The on-campus debit card system cost W&M about $350,000 to install, and the off-campus expansion is projected to cost about $30,000, Maimone said. The college expects to make up those costs and then some, he said.

``Our first priority is to provide this service for our students,'' he said. ``We didn't do this with a profit in mind, although of course we'd like that.''

Business owners participating in the new program say their investment is paying off.

Chris Mayer, owner of Band Box Music & Video, said students - who make up roughly 50 percent of the store's clientele - are using the cards there and at the store's second branch in W&M's University Center.

``One of our core customer groups are William and Mary students,'' Mayer said. ``This is just a way of expanding their options.''

Maimone said the merchants already signed up for the program were the first to respond to a letter distributed throughout the area that explained the off-campus expansion. W&M plans to limit the program to 40 merchants this year, to make sure the system works well before expanding it further.

But students, who were involved in planning the new system, already seem to be in the practice of asking businesses whether they accept the cards, Maimone said.

``I think the word is going to spread pretty fast.'' KEYWORDS: DEBIT CARD

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