Tuesday September 4, 2001

Guido in the Bursar's Office wants to talk with about 2,000 UA students. Should they not come up with his money, they're going to really pay. If students still have not paid their tuition bills, they will be dropped from all of their classes today at 4 p.m.

Instituted this semester following some 300 cases of tuition payment defaults last spring, the rule is causing major problems for students.

In the past, students have had basically until the end of the semester to pay up without facing any real action from the university. Now, those students with $25 or more in arrears will be dropped from all classes. Should they choose to re-register, it will cost as much as $300.

Amazingly (note sarcasm), thousands of students were totally unaware. For returning students, the old rule would make sense as the existing payment plan. Being a senior, I have always paid in increments over the semester. Considering out-of-state tuition is over $4,000, it's quite a lot to expect that to all be paid in full within the first two weeks of the semester.

Randy Richardson, interim vice president for undergraduate education, told the Wildcat on Friday that three notices had been sent to students who still had debts to the school. The problem with those notices: they didn't go to the billing address. Surely, thousands of students are counting on the fam to come through with tuition support. Telling students, when they don't arrive at school until usually just days before classes start, that tuition is due in full basically up front is asinine.

Worse off still are those students who pay for school with financial aid. Now, they are being forced to seek out other payment options - effectively taking out loans to pay for loans that have yet to clear. The financial aid office still has temporary loans that students can take out through noon today. After that, you're SOL.

Letters sent to the billing addresses mention nowhere that students will be dropped from all of their classes if payment is not received in full by today. My pops pays my tuition, thank God. When he got wind of these shenanigans, he told me that money was the only thing keeping him from getting on a plane to come out here with a baseball bat. His sentiments, which undoubtedly mirror those of other parents and students under the gun, are that the university is bullying students into paying.

Admin's wiseguys don't scare me, but if I don't hang onto my classes, then that means sticking around this place a whole extra year to take the classes I need. And for what? Red flag the students that went ghost when tuition was due. I've paid every semester in full by the end and now I'm a senior. What am I being punished for?

As much as I would love to stage a protest in front of Old Main against this crap, I need to take my classes and graduate. Not a single employer will look at me and say, "Hey, you're the guy that fought against some fouled-up attempt at pulling in tuition checks." They will, however, be impressed at graduating in four instead of five. Mine own arse shall not be sacrificed for the greater good, lads and lasses.

Thus, the conundrum: the problem will be worked out by most everyone come the end of the day, but it won't go away. It would be a shame to let the university walk away silently from this hasty rule implementation. Come tomorrow, throw it back at the university and ask for a change. It won't be hard to make the administration see how badly it screwed up.

Punishing those who don't pay at all and attend classes all semester is fine. No one can simply slip through this place for free. However, only punish those people. I pay, thousands of other people pay up·eventually. If it takes the whole semester, then it takes that long. Having the boys in registration simply swipe away your academic existence here and "forget about it" is not the way to go. To the rule-makers upstairs: think your rules out before initiating scare tactics to get tuition payments.