This semester, Emporia State became the only state regent university without a bank branch located on campus. The five other state regent universities all have a Commerce Bank branch.

In preparation for the end of Lyon County State Bank’s contract with ESU in late December, the university issued a proposal last summer to area banks to have a branch location on the ESU campus. Marion National Bank outbid LCSB, which had occupied space in the Memorial Union for almost ten years.

“Lyon County State bank had done an excellent job,” said Ray Hauke, vice president of Administration and Fiscal Affairs. “We liked the bank, students liked the bank, it’s just that the offer that was made by MNB was better from a financial perspective.”

LCSB protested MNB’s contract with ESU for what Hauke said were “technical reasons,” possibly with the motive to maintain business.

“We concluded in about August that there really wasn’t time to resolve the dispute and ensure that we would have services for students this semester,” Hauke said. “For that reason we decided it seemed appropriate that both MNB’s offer and LCSB’s offer be declared null and void and was best to let the current contract expire, which it did on Dec. 31.”

However, LCSB will continue to have an ATM in the Union, and any other bank willing to match LCSB’s ATM contract of $500 monthly can add an ATM as well. Memorial Union Director Dave Hendricks said that after renovations, there will be space for four.

While there is a possibility of a bank returning to campus, Hauke said it would not be practical until the east wing renovations in Memorial Union are completed. However, without a bank to fill the space, the area allotted for one, across from the current information desk, will now be renovated as a multipurpose meeting room.

“Really, it makes no sense for (ESU to contract a bank) until about a year from now because there’s no point in having a bank move into the area where LCSB was and then immediately disrupt that and have them move in order to renovate the Union,” Hauke said.

Hauke hopes to survey students before any decisions are made. The results of a student survey will influence the addition of a new bank in the future.

“It depends on how the students of the future bank,” Hauke said. “More and more people bank almost exclusively electronically, they hardly ever go to the bank. On the other end, some people still go to the bank. If you still go to the bank, it would be nice to have one on campus, if you don’t, it doesn’t make a lot of difference.”

Jocelyn Cummings, freshman secondary education math major, said she started banking with LCSB upon moving to campus and has been to their location in the Memorial Union as well as their off campus location.

“I just went with the Lyon County because it was on campus and convenient because I could just stop by the bank on the way to class,” Cummings said. “But I don’t really have a preference if we were to get another bank.”

Resulting from the removal of LCSB, Hendricks said there have been fewer students in the Union.

“We have noticed this semester the lack of traffic in the union due to not having a bank,” Hendricks said. “Our bookstore has experienced some of the same. I personally would love to see some kind of a bank in the union. I think it’s something that students might appreciate.”

But with the bank out of the way, its space has been transformed into a temporary location for the I.D. Office, and the Hornet Express will fill the I.D. Office space so that the east wing renovation can begin. Ultimately, the area that was once the bank will be a lounge.

“We’re just trying to get all of that kind of stuff out of that center that we call Main Street and really turn that into the student life part of the building,” Hendricks said. “There will be lounge furniture and probably tables and chairs to support our food venues.”

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