By
Hillary Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA student questions department's definition of 'received'
A UA student is alleging slow handling of his tuition checks by the Bursar's Office, which led to $600 in unfair late fees - although officials defend their procedures.
Aaron Flesch, a renewable and natural resources graduate student, said he mailed two tuition checks - for spring and fall 2000 - each several days before the payment due date, but both semesters was slapped with a late fee that nearly equaled the cost of his registration.
"You could call it cruel and unusual, almost, to double somebody's tuition," he said.
This semester, Flesch sent in his tuition check even earlier for good measure - but with the official census day for reporting spring 2001 enrollment figures to the Arizona Board of Regents approaching Thursday, he wanted students to be aware that even a week's cushion may not ensure a timely receipt of their tuition.
"Their job is not easy," he acknowledged of the Bursar's Office staff. "It's an accounting nightmare for them."
Nonetheless, Flesch said he wants clarification of the office's procedures, which could explain why he has been charged.
"When you mail something, it comes down to what the definition of received is," he said.
Theresa Couch, University of Arizona Bursar's Office representatives supervisor, said official policy for mailed check payment is to designate the check "posted," or received, into the computer system the day it arrives in the mail. The postmark date has no influence.
"We don't hold onto checks. When we receive them, we post them - on the same day," Couch said. "We hear these complaints but it's not in our control. The late charge is assessed if the registration fees have not been paid, period."
Couch said students with an outstanding balance for the spring semester are charged $50 until Feb. 1, when the $250 fee kicks in. Couch said that any unpaid charges - such as outstanding parking tickets or special class fees - will be paid before the registration fees are credited.
Students who rely on financial aid should also double-check their accounts on Student Link to ensure that their account is updated, Couch said.
No postponement or leniency is granted, she added, and the Bursar's Office turns to a collection agency for any outstanding balances.
Flesch's troubles with late fees began in late 1999, when he applied to UA's graduate college with the intention of studying pygmy owls. Although he was accepted by the renewable and natural resources department that November, his "official" acceptance by the university did not come until mid-January 2000 - about a week into the semester.
Although the census day cut-off date had not yet arrived, Flesch said it was about a week away from when he received his tuition bill, so he paid his charges within a couple days of receiving notice of them.
Still, Flesch said, a $350 late fee was tacked onto his $367 tuition. Officials from the graduate college were able to shave $100 off of Flesch's fee on account of their administrative error - his delayed admission - but Flesch had to pay the balance before he could begin his research.
Officials could not discuss Flesch's case for confidentially reasons.
Last semester, Flesch said he mailed in his tuition again with about a week to spare. Once again, he was charged $250, and the assistant dean of the graduate college had to intervene to get Flesch's registration hold lifted while he came up with the money, he said.
Flesch said he has written letters to the Bursar's Office, the graduate college and UA President Peter Likins. He has also talked with ombudsmen, produced copies of his canceled checks to the Bursar's Office to prove he had paid on time, and filed a formal appeal.
He declined to say if he is filing a lawsuit against the UA, but he acknowledged that at the point his situation has reached, few options remain.
If he did take legal action though, it would be a first for the Bursar's Office - Couch said there have been no lawsuits against the office for grievances on late fees.
She also said the Bursar's Office has never wrongly charged a late fee, although sometimes a department error will arise - such as the case with Flesch in his first semester.
Chris Farley, an ombudsman with the UA facilitators, said she sees several students a semester with complaints about late fees.
As an impartial third party with a particular knowledge of Bursar's Office procedure, Farley directs students to information and resources, and explains the payment and appeals processes.
However, she does not have the power to help excuse students from paying the fees.
"It's a mandatory charge. They can't just say, well that sounds too bad, we'll waive it for you. It has to be a really good reason," Farley said.
"People tend not to take care of things until it's urgent," she added.
Flesch agreed that he could have been more diligent in paying his fees in a timely manner, but said he still felt he allowed enough time for the check to reach the university.
"There is a certain degree of culpability on my part - I should have been more proactive," he said. "But when you send a check in seven days before it's due, within one zip code, I think that's adequate."
Flesch stressed that he is not hostile toward the Bursar's Office, but would like to find other students who have had similar experiences and ensure the same error does not penalize anybody else.
Couch said she feels her office does an adequate job posting the deadlines.
"We use flyers in the billing statements, the dates are listed in the class schedule and on the (University of ) Arizona Web site," she said. "We make the information as accessible as possible."
Couch warns students not to rely on the postal service, even if they are sending inter-city mail.
"Do not mail any more checks," she said in regard to tomorrow's payment deadline. "Please come in person or use the RSVP. But mail is too risky."
