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August 29, 2002 edition |
Glazier
makes good on pledge
Josh Christiansen checks on information about the new
tuition payment plan.
ANNIE BROWN / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
SUU’s new tuition payment plan is now available
in fulfillment to SUUSA President Matt Glazier’s
campaign promise.
Any SUU student is eligible for the plan. Inquiries for
admittance should be made at the Cashier’s Office.
Wesley Brinkerhoff, head cashier, said SUUSA officers
approached him at the end of last year to see if there
was any way to defer the entire payment of tuition at
the beginning of the semester.
“In the past we’ve required that all tuition
fees be paid at the beginning of the semester,”
Brinkerhoff said.
“So we sat down with the student body president
and a number of other committee members and came up with
a tuition payment plan that will allow students to pay
over the course of the semester on a monthly basis.”
For Fall 2003, students will have three months to pay
their tuition on the plan, Brinkerhoff said.
“We divide the total tuition bill by the number
of full months remaining in the semester,” he said.
“For example, a student could begin paying toward
their Spring Semester as early as November with their
tuition spread over five months.”
Payments for Fall 2003 will be accepted as early as next
July.
Glazier said the thanks belongs to the faculty and administration
for being so eager to “set everything up and really
make it work for students.”
“When we went to the first meeting, it wasn’t
an issue of if we’re going to do this, it was how
to implement it, how to do it,” Glazier said. “That
was really nice, to have support right off the bat.”
The promise to implement such a plan was a key point in
Glazier’s platform during last year’s elections.
A $30 processing fee is the only additional cost, Brinkerhoff
said.
“They pay no interest, they pay no other charges
as long
as they make regular monthly payments on schedule,”
he said.
Payments are due by the first business day of each month.
“If a student is not current on the payment plan,
then we just cancel the plan and they go back and would
be subject to the late fees that accrue every week or
their classes would be dropped,” Brinkerhoff said.
Glazier said the $30 processing fee is minuscule in comparison
to
Glazier said the hardest choice was deciding whether to
run the
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program in-house or through an outside source.
“There are a number of different third party ‘vendors,’
if you will, that would love to provide this service for
the campus,” Brinkerhoff said.
The top contenders for running an out-of-house plan were
Academic Management Services and Key Bank.
“Some of the vendors, the third party people, would
charge upwards of $60 for the application fee,” Brinkerhoff
said.
“In light of that, and the fact that students are
already paying enough, we decided to try and do it this
other way,” he said.
Brinkerhoff said the hardest task was determining how the
whole plan would function.
“That was the biggest thing — getting all the
offices together and deciding who’s going to do what,”
he said. “It was one of those things that you don’t
mobilize immediately.”
Students are beginning to take notice of the new option.
“I know that there are several students taking advantage
of it now,” Glazier said. “I think that it can
only help students more in the future.”
Brinkerhoff said the response has been positive thus far.
“I don’t foresee us abandoning it now,”
he said. “I had my doubts initially. We did have AMS
on campus once before with only two people (in the program).”
There are approximately 30 students currently on the payment
plan.
“We’re trying it out,” Brinkerhoff said.
“This is just kind of a trial and error period. It’s
been accepted quite well thus far.” a late fee, which
is acquired after the first week of school if the whole
sum of tuition isn’t paid on the default system.
“It’s a lot better than paying a late fee, plus
it allows you to pay throughout the semester, and that’ll
be cheaper in the short-term,” Glazier said.
Committee members met over the summer to get the plan on
schedule.
“We were under the gun,” Brinkerhoff said. “They
came to us at the beginning of the summer and said ‘we
would like to do this.’ That’s something that
you just don’t do overnight. We wanted to have it
in place by the beginning of Fall Semester, and we made
it by the skin of our teeth.”
The committee met a few times to get ideas from Glazier
and other committee members, Brinkerhoff said.
“We also polled some of our counterparts at other
institutions that have a similar plan,” he said.
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What a Rush!
Greeks initiate week of friendship, acceptance
By JESSICA SANELY
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
Up until noon Friday, the fraternity leaders of Sigma Chi,
Sigma Nu and female fraternity Sigma Alpha Phi, along with the
sorority leaders of Delta Psi Omega, will have their eyes open
in search of students who’d be interested in joining them
in their brother or sisterhood.
On Monday the Greeks had a barbeque with live music from five
bands on the Multipurpose Center lawn. Many students came out
to kick-off the big week ahead. The remaining days of the week
were filled with a variety of activities planned by each of
the different Greek Houses.
Before noon on Friday, the new members (those who have expressed
their interest in joining and have been selected by the active
members) will be delivered a bid. The member can then choose
to accept or decline the life-long commitment of joining the
house.
Stefania Rudd, educational leadership consultant for Alpha Phi,
said five or six girls are usually accepted each semester. But
things are going to be different this year; the bid will be
going throughout the year. If 30 girls show their interest,
they can all be accepted.
Sigma Chi lists the benefits of joining a sorority or fraternity
on their Web site. It includes the scholastic support system,
the hands-on experience of leading committees, assistance in
budget-managing, and the interaction with the faculty and administration
of SUU.
“You get to know women that you would have never known
otherwise, and they become your sisters for life,” Rudd
said.
The fraternities and sororities are known for career assisting,
service projects, and creating close friendships. According
to the Sigma Chi Web site, close to a million
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The Alpha Phi women’s sorority had activities
and meetings throughout this week in hopes of recruiting
new members. The meeting Tuesday night was designed to
explain what a sorority is and included a game to teach
sisterhood and teamwork. Rush Week continues through Friday.
ANNIE BROWN / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL
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students across the country currently are fraternity or sorority
members. The Web site also said the members graduate college
at significantly higher rates than those not involved.
The cost for all these benefits is charged in the first year
of membership. After that, one-time expenses are added, and
regular dues, anywhere from $135 to $400 for sororities and
$160 to $300 for fraternities, will be expected per semester.
They will be due in monthly installments.
The fraternities and sororities uphold all city and state laws.
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