Students at East Central University need to confirm their permanent mailing addresses with the university so they can receive their new ECU Tiger Cards - the debit cards that will be necessary for students to receive any refunds, including financial aid and other student disbursements.
ECU needs students' current addresses because the cards will be mailed to them later this month in green envelopes.
Students can verify their personal information online at the MyECU portal. If an address is incorrect, they should contact the ECU Office of Admissions & Records, Room 111 in the Administration Building, or 580-559-5234.
In previous years, students had to wait for the refunds to be processed and checks to be printed. They had to pick up their checks in person and take them to their banks.
This year, under a partnership with Higher One, a financial services and payment company that will administer the cards, refunds will be sent electronically to the student's bank or the Higher One bank account.
"First, students need to make sure we have their correct mailing address," said Lynn Lofton, ECU controller. "We will send out the ECU Tiger Cards this month and instructions will be included on how to activate them. Activating the card lets us know how students want to receive their refunds."
The new system will cut both the time students have to wait for refunds and the university's costs of processing refunds and printing and handing out checks.
"Do not throw this card away," Lofton said. "It is not offering students a credit card. It is a MasterCard debit card that tells us how to disburse their refunds.
"Even if students do not have scholarships or financial aid, they should keep and activate the card because they may need it in the future," Lofton added.
The ECU Tiger Card offers two choices for receiving refunds: a student's own existing bank account or the OneAccount, an FDIC-insured checking account with no monthly fees for basic services. Opening a OneAccount allows the card to be used as a debit card.
For more information, contact Becky Isaacs at 580-559-5216.
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