The CFE on campus provides students with the opportunity of working in a real credit union, taking on real jobs and responsibility.
While there are many different roles in the bank, such as a teller, head teller, member service representative, all roles are occupied by students.
“I like it because it is a real world job with real world consequences,” junior Brent Haley said.
The students working in the CFE credited the freedom to make decisions while working a positive of the program.
“I feel like it is a great experience because you have to govern yourself and it’s also very rewarding because you have freedom and are trusted with the branch,” Haley said. “You certainly learn money management and it teaches you more of an accountability thing and how to budget your time.”
While there are several benefits of being able to work in the credit union, junior Mesha Smith insisted that her favorite part is counting the money.
The everyday tasks in the bank include simple transactions such as withdrawals and deposits.
“I like it because it gives me a feeling of being important,” sophomore Kayla Costin said.
Students in the branch must have certain skills and meet requirements to work in the bank.
“You have to be really good at talking to people and you have to know how to communicate so the customer feels comfortable,” Smith said.
In normal classrooms, students are graded on whether they are right or wrong or answered true or false on a simple question, in the branch the students are graded on “how they represent the bank.”
Furthermore, Smith believes that the students are graded so that “there is an incentive for working in the CFE.”
Costin and Smith both think working in the branch can be relaxing because there’s not a teacher hovering over their shoulder. In the bank, the head tellers play the role of an authority figure by coming in early and making sure the money matches up, and also coming in after school to do the same thing.
With the additional responsibility also comes an additional benefit. The head tellers are the only job in the bank that gets paid.
“If someone makes a mistake, I would fix it and document that, and hand out grades” Haley said.
Students at the CFE consider it a chance to learn speciality skills they couldn’t learn in an ordinary classroom while working in a friendly environment.
“Its an amazing opportunity to add to your resume” Haley said.