University enforcing payment policy
By Angie Chang
Associate Editor

Financial Services has received approximately 1,900 payments since Jan. 4 from students after it threatened to drop students from classes as a result of the enforcement of the payment policy reenacted this semester, said TCU Controller Cheryl Wilson.

Carol Campbell, vice chancellor for finance and business, said the policy is being enforced to prevent adding to the general cost of the university—the university’s operating earnings and expenditures — when students do not pay money owed to the university. The university’s general cost, which has increased over the years when the policy has not been enforced, does not affect any TCU debt, but does affect raises in tuition, she said.

David Dunai/STAFF REPORTER Courtney Ratliff, a senior social work major; Bethanne Elliot, a senior history major and Dolly Pierson, a receptionist, go through some paperwork in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

“(The process) is like shoplifting,” Campbell said. “The money that is not received raises total cost of the university. In order to cover those raised costs, the university increases tuition the following year.”

Campbell said the decision to enforce the policy was passed by the TCU administration late fall 2001.

“During fall term, we began enforcing holds on accounts more rigorously,” Campbell said.

“The process made it clear that a number of students were making payments only when holds were on accounts and that is why holds are being used this spring to encourage students to make payments.”

Wilson said Financial Services has handled a large number of payments during the past weeks after several notices were put on FrogNet and sent to students that still have holds on their accounts. There are approximately 200 students that still have holds on their accounts, she said.

Wilson said payment of the minimum balance for this semester was to be made by Jan. 4, but a two-week grace period was granted until Jan. 18 since this is the first semester in many years that the policy has been enforced. Wilson said that although TCU has become lax on enforcing the payment policy over the years, she cannot remember when the policy was last fully enforced.

“TCU’s goal is not to drop students from classes,” Wilson said. “We just want to encourage them to be prompt with their financial obligations to the university. In the past weeks we have received numerous phone calls from people who want to work with financial services to get their bills taken care of, and the numbers of students with holds on their accounts have fallen dramatically.”

John Singleton, director of international services, said the late notice of the enforcement of the payment policy given by TCU made it difficult for him to contact international students before winter break. International students have different equirements and cannot afford to come back from winter break to find out that they have been dropped from classes because they didn’t make a payment, Singleton said.

“In order to not be in violation of their student visas, they must be enrolled in school as a full-time student,” Singleton said. “They cannot take a semester off to work because that could result in them losing their visa. They would then have to reapply for a new one which almost never gets approved.”

She said holds on the accounts will not affect the use of student IDs for on-campus dining but will prevent students from using their ID card for bookstore purchases, on-campus vending and access to laundry machines. If payment is not received by Financial Services by Jan. 18, students who still have holds on their accounts will be dropped from their classes and will be entitled to a full refund of their tuition for the semester, Wilson said.

Mike Scott, director of scholarships and student financial assistance, said many people have contacted the Office of Scholarships and Student Financial Aid to take out loans and pay their balances. The enforcement of the policy is beneficial for both the students and the university, Scott said.

“In the past TCU has been too nice by allowing balances to carry,” Scott said. “As a result of that, students find themselves in huge debt accumulation that they can’t pay off and end up either not being able to obtain their transcript or graduate. TCU does not do themselves or the students any favors by letting the students accumulate this debt.”

Mandi McReynolds, a junior religion major, said she has a hold on her account but her mother has already mailed in a payment. She said she has received notices from TCU about her outstanding bill, however she said they were sent to the wrong place.

“My mother is responsible for paying the bill,” McReynolds said. “They send the bill to her but they send the notices to me. My mother was unaware that I was in danger of being dropped from my classes because she did not get any notices and because they did not enforce it in past years.”

McReynolds said she has also found the hold on her account to be bothersome because it prevents her from buying her books.

“TCU should use another preventive measure other than freezing the accounts,” she said. “Not allowing me to buy my books will cause me to fall behind in classes and will affect how I do in school.”

Angie Chang
a.o.chang@student.tcu.edu

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