Almost four months after implementing an online, automated eXpress account program called GET Funds, the St. Thomas Card Office said the change is positive, especially for parents.

Deborah Amon, Card Office coordinator, said that parents were the primary reason for the switch. She said parents frequently asked for a way to put money on their students’ account from home.

“Every day, we would get calls,” Amon said. She said parents would mention older children of theirs who attended other colleges that made use of online money programs, and they wondered why St. Thomas didn’t do the same.

Amon said that with GET Funds, parents can put money into their student’s account online, automating the process. Now, students can also add to their account anytime they wish.

Students can also access GET Funds on their smartphones by scanning a QR code.

In the past, students were required to go to the card office and fill out a form. Office workers would then manually deposit money into that student’s eXpress account.

Freshman Emily Vecchia said the change makes it a lot easier to add money to her account.

“I had to go into the card office before, and now I can just go on the computer,” Vecchia said. “It’s just nice to know what my balance is without having to go to the card office.”

Amon said that another common parent inquiry was about purchase history.

“I would have parents calling me and asking, ‘Oh, can I get Amy’s bookstore transactions?’” Amon said. “(With GET Funds) the student can send (his or her bookstore transaction) home to their parents. They can forward it in an email right from the website.”

The bookstore dedicated two iPads this semester for GET Funds. When students are standing in line to buy books, they can add the exact amount needed to pay for their bookstore purchases.

Even though the program has been used at the university since Thanksgiving Break, some students said they still didn’t know about the change.

“I remember a couple weeks ago I did that, but I was so surprised because I’d never heard of it. So I was hoping that they’d advertise more,” senior Kim Uy said.

After using it, Uy said she thinks the new program is a good idea.

One of the biggest changes that comes with GET Funds is that eXpress accounts can now be added to with credit cards. In the past, accounts could only be added to by cash or check, but there is a $1.50 fee to use a credit card to make a deposit.

Freshman Haley Gajeski said credit cards make the new system easier to use.

“It’s easier and more efficient than having to write a check or bring money all the way down to the card office, and it’s easy to keep track of,” Gajeski said.

Amon said it’s too soon to see if GET Funds has changed the way that students use eXpress money, but that it is apparent that students are happy with the new system.

Amon said that GET Funds makes it more convenient not only to put money on the account, but to track spending as well.

“It’s so intuitive that students haven’t been asking many questions,” Amon said. “They can easily go to the website and maneuver around it.”

Jamie Bernard can be reached at bern2479@stthomas.edu.