EDITORIAL: Fee payment woes

By: Gerry Blakney

Posted: 1/11/08

I have attended Western for six years now and a lot of things have changed. Fee payment used to be, and to an extent still is, a huge hassle. I remember as a lost, scared freshman waiting in line for at least an hour to pay my fees. I vowed then and there, never to go through the same mistakes again.

So when I went online to check my schedule the night before fall term 2006 started I was surprised and excited to find that I could apply my financial aid and pay the remainder online. No lines. All I had to do was sit at my computer and go in the next day to pick up my check. I thought I was miraculously awarded Christmas, my birthday and even the Fourth of July all at the same time. So I applied my aid, paid and strolled into ITC to pick up the remainder of my financial aid.

Only to find a line. At the time no one really knew the option was even available and the business office didn't really seem to know how to handle the line-dodgers so they decided we should have to wait in line to get our checks just like everyone else.

However, I continued to apply and pay my bill online even if the business office wasn't as up to speed as I would have liked.

Now, a little over a year later, by the third day of fee payment almost half of the students at Western have heard of and used the online service. It saves time for the students, the staff and ultimately money for Western. More and more students use the online service every term.

All of this success convinced me that this term was going to be the year that the business office got rid of that awful line. I applied my aid and paid Sunday night. I casually strolled into ITC Monday morning and saw two lines for students who applied their fees online, right next to where the old line started. But something was different. There was no one, to be seen in the used-to-be-horribly-long-line waiting to apply their fees. I actually had to wait in a long line because I paid my bill beforehand.

Two ladies were giving out checks to the online, tech-savy students patiently waiting. In front of them there was a sign that said, "A-Z."

My last name is Blakney, and since I was lucky enough to have my last name fall between A-Z I got in the shorter A-Z line to the right and waited. I will admit, I only had to wait fifteen minutes compared to the hour or so I would have had to wait previously so I was relieved. Yet, no one was standing in the face-to-face, once a 30-45 minute wait, line the entire time I was waiting.

Finally it was my turn. I walked up, gave them my student ID... and was told that I was in the wrong line. I could have sworn my last name was between A-Z.

I asked why the sign between the two lines said A-Z, to which I was told, "it is an old sign." So take it down! I asked if I needed to go to the end of the other line.

She said, "Yes."

Fortunately for me another student at the front of the other line said I could go next (even though I tried to be polite and say no). I went to the other side, gave the woman my card and eventually got my check. Now, for the record, the first employee was very nice and courteous even though I had apparently picked the wrong line which their sign said was correct. The second person howeverwas not nice at all. In fact, she was the same impolite employee that I had come to expect at fee payment, except it was only Monday morning.

I took out the sharpie that was in my pocket and corrected the erroneous sign, writing underneath the "A-Z," "A-H" with an arrow pointing to the left and "I-Z" with an arrow pointing to the right.

I ask you, was that so difficult?

There were only two employees working the pre-applied lines and at least five others carefully assisting the students needing their reconciled bill face-to-face (of which I saw no more than five students, in the twenty minutes that I was there).

Why doesn't the business office have two more employees work the pre-applied lines and only three to help the students manually? Why doesn't the business office offer direct deposit into our checking accounts if you are going to get money back? Western already offers that for payroll and the state of Oregon allows me to do that with my tax return. Even Chemeketa has direct deposit for students. Wouldn't that be even more cost effective? Come on, let's offer real customer service.

At the very least, offer customer service training to some of the employees. Students are only trying to give the university more of our money. •