The Bank of America ATM at the Brown Office Building, which has been inaccessible since Sept. 29, is once again available to students. The ATM opened over the weekend - more than a week after the reopening was originally scheduled.
Students were initially told in the Sept. 26 Morning Mail that the automated teller machine would be ready for use on Oct. 3.
Manuel Cunard, director of the Brown Bookstore, said restoration of the banking area was part of the building's ongoing renovations. But when Bank of America personnel visited the building on Oct. 3 to reactivate the machines, they discovered that they were missing a router that was "essential for operation," he said. The bank technicians told Bookstore management that the part would be in by Oct. 9, but the following day Cunard said the router had yet to be installed.
Cunard said the situation was "frustrating" because the construction crews had completed the necessary building repairs by the Oct. 3 deadline. "We'd done the painting and everything," he said.
Bank of America operates another on-campus ATM in the lower level of Faunce House. While students still had access to the Faunce ATM while the other one wasn't functional, the machine does not accept checks. As the scheduled reopening date passed, some students trying to cash paychecks grew increasingly frustrated with the inconvenient situation.
"I just got my paycheck," Alex Arruda '11 said. "I need my money. It's not fair that I can't get to it. They need to fix this."
In the meantime, students with checks ventured off-campus to local Bank of America branches. The nearest locations are downtown at 111 Westminster St. or at 23 Providence Place. Another option is near Wayland Square at 457 Angell St.
Solomon Eppel '10 said he had to visit the farther Angell Street location in order to deposit four checks. "I understand that they needed to shut the ATMs down for the renovation, but it was an inconvenience," he said.
