Shavonne Tate's parents bailed her out of credit card debt once, and she never wants them to have to do it again.
Tate, a senior at Ball State University, learned more about controlling her credit card debt when she first attended a credit card workshop a few years ago at Ball State.
Now, Tate teaches a workshop on credit card use to help fellow students avoid falling victim to the traps of credit card debt.
Students and faculty gathered on the University Green Wednesday to learn more about managing their credit at "The Survival Guide to Credit" program organized and promoted by students of the Department of Marketing and Management.
The program, run by students of the Marketing 420 class and Citi Credit-Ed, was designed to help educate students about good credit management, as well as to learn the advantages and disadvantages of using credit.
About 400 to 500 people attended the program, some of whom stayed for the entire afternoon and others who simply stopped by to gather some quick information.
Evan Bergman, co-coordinator of the program, said the turnout was much greater than anyone in the class had expected.
"A lot of people didn't know as much as they thought they did about credit," said Bergman. "It was a good educational tool."
Both Citi Credit-Ed, sponsored by Citi Bank, and the class wanted to promote the importance of having good credit as a college student.
"We wanted to teach students to be responsible with credit, not fall into debt," Bergman said.
Bergman also said Citi Bank did not want to entice students into signing up for a credit card at the program, but instead show them how easy it is to fall into debt, especially during the college years.
David Salzman, Vice President of the Citi Bank College Outreach Initiative, said the company takes credit card education seriously.
"Our role is to make sure you use it responsibly," Salzman said.
Citi Credit-Ed handed out pamphlets to students on creating a budget, how to read a credit report, understanding how a credit card works and how to prevent fraud, both with credit cards as well as ATM cards.
Those who attended the event were offered a free Carter's Hot Dog, as well as a "Survival Kit" filled with Ramen noodles, gum, a wallet-sized booklet to help students keep track of their credit purchases, a coupon book, a pamphlet about budgeting your money and other free items.
The class also promoted a workshop put on by Tate and fellow students Brent Howen and Lindsey Hedrick, who went more in-depth on the information. The workshop was more interactive with a four-module Credit Challenge and free Papa John's pizza. Tate, Howen and Hedrick have led this workshop for four years.
Nicole Ricigliano, a senior Risk Management and Insurance major, attended the workshop and told the instructors how easy it is to have several credit cards.
"Once you have one credit card, you need eight others," Ricigliano said.
The workshop discussed managing money, creating a budget, learning how to use credit cards and understanding their terms.
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