NEFCU Finds New Home Off Campus

By Jonathan Seltzer
Staff Writer

The Nassau Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) had an office on the second floor of Hillwood Commons, until Dec. 2013. This NEFCU branch allowed students to cash paychecks free of charge, and provided on-campus banking services for staff and faculty. As of March 14, NEFCU’s new location is 90 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale, N.Y.

Many students were unaware that the bank was once on campus. I didn’t know much about NEFCU. “I didn’t bank there. I just knew it was upstairs in Hillwood. I think the international students used it,” said Nicole Zaccone, a sophomore Psychology major.

Not all students used the bank, but there was still a good amount of students who used the bank when it was located on campus. “A lot of my peers cashed their checks at that bank even though they did not have an account there. I still bank with NEFCU, and heard they were moving. The teller told me that I should start getting direct deposits because they were moving and I wouldn’t be able to cash my checks on campus any longer,” said Tatiana Plunkett, a freshman Psychology major.

“I know NEFCU closed, but I believe the new location is close enough to campus for students to be able to bank there with ease,” said Rita Iosefson, a senior Child Education major.

“With our new branch, we will be able to offer extended services to the community. NEFCU will continue to offer surcharge-free ATM withdrawals to both students and faculty of LIU Post,” said Valerie Gargugilo, vice president of Marketing for NEFCU. “Branch features will include video tellers that will allow bankers to access tellers through a camera service similar to Skype. The move will not be cost effective, but we want to serve everyone in the community.”

The NEFCU ATM machine located in Hillwood Commons will remain in service. Alerie Tirsch, director of Student Life and Leadership Development, provided additional information on how students can travel from campus to the new NEFCU location in the Wheatley Plaza shopping center. “There is currently a shuttle [bus] that goes from the campus to the Pathmark shopping center where NEFCU is now located,” Tirsch said. Shuttle bus schedules are available at the Hillwood Commons Information Desk.