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March 22, 2007

Tuition

Error backlash continues

The tuition undercharge has forced at least one student to withdraw from school.

Story by: Joan Khalaf

The Shorthorn staff

Click to enlarge

The Shorthorn: File Art

Copy of original e-mail letter sent March 8, 2007

Former English sophomore Chase Erwin withdrew from the university March 20 because he was unable to pay back an $1,800 undercharge to the university.

He was undercharged from April to November 2006 for Arlington Hall housing, Health Services fees and parking permits Because of the undercharged housing fees, Erwin was threatened with eviction notices.

Erwin also dropped several classes last semester due to personal reasons. Although he submitted a tuition refund request that was approved, the university charged his account.

“I’m going to have to wait a year or two to pay off this,” he said. “I wrote a letter to President Spaniolo explaining my situation. I basically got a letter back saying that there was nothing they could do and to have a nice semester. I wasn’t surprised at all. But at the very least, they might be concerned about the problem.”

Due to confidentiality laws, Ehren Wixson, Business Services executive director, said he could not speak about Erwin’s situation.

Rusty Ward, Business Services vice president and controller, said a student shouldn’t have to drop out of school.

“For students that get in trouble financially, there are loans available,” he said. “The refund policy is not a matter of university policy. It’s a matter of the Texas Education Code.”

Kathleen Porter, an English undergraduate adviser who dealt with Erwin’s withdrawal, said Erwin was one of the unfortunate victims of the MyMav system.

“The people behind the systems are going to make mistakes,” she said. “It’s never going to be perfect. I used to be a computer programmer, so I can see both sides. I would hope that UTA would test the system before it releases it for student use so things like this can be avoided.”

Porter suggests students be careful with MyMav.

“If students find something odd, they need to not be afraid to question the system,” she said. “This is a big place and it’s tough to navigate a big system.”

Computer science senior Scott Steffen experienced a similar instance as part of the university’s recent error on engineering, nursing and business students’ spring tuition. The university’s error cost students a total of $500,000.

“I was caught off guard,” he said. “It was amateurish on their part. I’ll pay the fee, but not until the last day.”

Nursing sophomore Amber Mayhue said she would fight the university if she were affected by the error.

“Some people have to budget their money,” she said. “If they slap on a fee midsemester, they could be taking away from rent money or other things that those people have to pay for.”

Erwin said he now depends on his parents for financial support and will not return to the university when he gains the finances to attend school again.

“I am disenchanted with this school,” he said. “I totally got manhandled financially. This ended up not only costing me money, but my education.”