munky.org|v3.0

Students beware.

A little history. Last spring, I was on financial aid, and taking 3 courses – Calculus 2 (4 credits), Physics 251 (4 credits), and orienteering (1 credit). I was also working on the first project at my last job. When I signed up for the job, I agreed to occasional day trips, but a monthinto the semester, the requirements changed. I was to go to Greensboro (and shortly enough, travel around the country), and to be up there the whole week for quite some time. I wasn’t happy, but I worked with my Calculus and Physics professors, and came to a resolution. Orienteering didn’t matter, it was a weekend class for 2 weeks. My second weekend for the class came after my first few days in Greensboro (anyone who knew me then should remember I had the flu, running a 103 degree fever…).

The next week, I tried the arrangement, but realized the only person I was cheating was myself, so, against my principles, I withdrew. Prior to withdrawing, I spoke with financial aid, and they said I wouldn’t have to pay anything back, which helped seal that fateful decision.

Well, apparently you can’t trust everything your told, even by a college official that specializes in that particular field. After returning from my nationwide tour, installing equipment for the US Trust transition, I registered for a summer course. Unfortunately, I couldn’t register. The system showed I owed the school $819.

So I went up to the school, spoke with financial aid, apparently the person I spoke to forgot some, uh, important stuff. Thanks guy! Then I go to the cashier’s office. I admitted that fine, whatever, I owe the college money. Tried to set up a payment plan, since $819 is a large chunk to swallow, especially when your told that you would owe $819 less! Oh, they would, but they wouldn’t let me register until it was paid. According to the supervisor I dealt with, that was financial aid, not the cashier’s office. Talk about accountability. “You’re a representative of the college.” Yea yea, he was a boneheaded jerk. Sure, I know there are people who try to scam their way through, but given I had never owed the college anything (I always paid my tuition, that was only my second semester on financial aid), and the fact that at the time I had a 3.7 GPA. Ok, whatever, he’s a jerk. I ended up paying for it on my credit card (shooting it back to the limit, but hey, I got my financing), and was told that I owed no more money to the college.

Fast forward a year. Today is May 11th, 2009. I just took my 2 finals today (Calculus 2 and Physics 251, only a year later), and after my first exam, I went to the graduation office. I had some concerns about what showed up on my program evaluation, and I wanted to ensure that I would get to walk Thursday and I would have no issues with getting my degree in July.

One of the issues was that it showed that I had no PE class, yet when I check my transcript on CPCC’s MyCollege, it shows I passed it with an A. I noticed that on her system it showed a status “NP,” and she had to call someone to find out what it meant. Means Non-Payment (which was my guess). But hey! I paid this thing a year ago!

So once again, I trudge up to the cashier’s office. After standing around for about 15 or 20, they finally showed me where, according to their system, I didn’t pay it. Here’s how:

• 11/9/07 - I registered - $526.50+
• 1/2/08  – I bought books, supplies, and a new calculator – $352.22+ , new balance – $878.72+
• 2/7/08 – Federal Pell Grant payment pf $472.00, new balance of $406.72+
• 2/7/08 – NC Community College Grant payment of $337.00, new balance of $69.72+
• 2/7/08 – NC Education Lottery Scholarship payment of $310.00, new balance of $240.28-
• 2/8/08 – Financial Aid Refund of $240.28 dispersed, new balance – $0
• 2/21/08 – Dropped Calculus and Physics, account credited then recharged $526.50, balance still $0
• 3/24/08 – Federal Pell Grant charge-back of $272.00, new balance $272.00+
• 3/24/08 – NC Community College Grant charge-back of $337.00, new balance of $609.00+
• 3/24/09 – NC Education Lottery Scholarship charge-back of $310(including refunded amount), new balance $919.00+

Apparently, this is the amount that I should have been charged for, and had I been charged that at the time of payment, I would have paid it. When you want my money, best to ask me while my wallet is open. However, check out the next bit of, umm, curious accounting that I have yet to understand the purpose:

• 3/25/08 – Account credited $526.50 (price of tuition), new balance $392.50+
• 3/25/08 – Account now charged $426.50 (price of Calculus and Physics), new balance $819.00+
• 5/13/2008 – Payment of $819.00, new balance $0

For some ungodly reason, they dropped my PED class. Why? I don’t know. I had already completed it (0ver a monthbefore), and had a grade associated with it (A, the easiest A ever). That is a financial obligation, yet they arbitrarily didn’t include it. The only thing I can assume is a sick joke, but irregardless, at this point, I will not pay it. If they wanted the money for it, they should’ve asked then. They didn’t. They told me they would not allow me to register if I did not pay my financial obligations to the college, so I paid. I’ve now registered for my 4th straight semester, yet they say I didn’t pay for a completed class,which is a financial obligation.

In fact, from the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities, Code of Conduct, and Disciplinary Procedures section of the CPCC Student Handbook, section V (Sanctions), number 6

Withholding transcript, diploma, or right to register or participate in graduation ceremonies: Imposed when financial obligations are not met—the student will not be allowed to register until all financial obligations are met.

At the time I paid the $819, I was informed that all financial obligations are met. Now they say I didn’t pay for a class, which was financial obligation at the time I paid. As I see it, they have forfeited their right to make that claim, given that the policies explicitly state that I would be unable to register for further classes. By the fact that I made payment and have continued my studies at the college, that explicit statement also means that I have no financial obligations with the college (I have already paid the summer tuition, so I owe $0).

So sorry Charlie, don’t come to be and cry about spilled milk. The college (or as that jerk in cashiering would state, “the cashier’s office”) informed me at the time I made that payment that I was paying my financial obligations to the college. So the cashier’s office can now fix their mistake, and eat their $100. Because I will graduate this summer, and I will not pay a financial obligation that was resolved a year ago. Paying an extra $100 then might have hurt, but now it is outrageous, and will not be tolerated. Even if I were still working, I’d still tell them no.

So where’s the scam? Make sure that when making payments to the college, insure that your full payment is covering everything it is intended too. The cashiering department, including the supervisors I have had experience with, will not get you anywhere, even when you have a valid claim. The department cares little of fault, and through experience claims allegiance to any other part of the college.

Tomorrow I am going up there to speak to the supervisor, or the supervisor’s supervisor, or God knows who else. If I have to make an appeal I will. But don’t hold it against me to try and get Action 9 involved. The last thing we need in a bad economy is for public colleges and universities to screw around with their students on financial matters.

I’ll post an update tomorrow with whatever I got out of my meeting.

After spending the last 3 years of my life battling the fatigue and burnout of maintaining full time employment, full time school loads, a family of your own, and all the added responsibilities of taken care of the house, cars, and finances, one chapter of that is about to end soon. Last Friday I got to thinking “Wow, I’m going to be graduating this summer. Wait a tick, I should have gone by the graduation office last month!” So after a couple of forms, I got my “permission slip” to get my cap, gown, and purple cord (for having a program GPA between a 3.7 and 3.99), I was reading to walk. That evening, it finally hit me again: I’m walking on May 14th, which is just around the corner! Oh my god, I’m almost done!

It’s been a very long, uphill battle, but I think I’ve done good dealing with it. So far I only have 3 B’s, of which all 3 I can contribute somehow to work (they should have been A’s, damnit!). I may not far my best this semester, with everything going on. But I can say I am proud of everything I have accomplished up until now. People can say what they want too, but I could write a book on the difficulties of being a full-time college student while living out the life of a typical middle-class working man. I have heard too many classmates complain about their waitering jobs and such, and I always offer to switch with them. For some reason they always decline.

The best and worst thing I did do though was to get a job that required thinking for most of the day. My second job back, I was a mindless drone, entering in serial numbers and information all day long. Thinking was an occasional benefit, but the job bored me to hell. Then my contract was ended, and I picked up my last job. All of a sudden I’m thinking, planning, troubleshooting, etc. all day long. Sometimes working 60-70 hour weeks. It grinds away at you, especially when you are already shot.

My other main set back came from this same job. Last spring I was taking the same courses I am taking now, when my work did a 180, and I went from potential day trips to travelling cross country. I had to withdraw, which hurt in many ways, and also cost me my chance to graduate last fall, 1 semester ahead of when I drew up my plan back in the summer of 2006. I lost one and paid it back with two. Ugh. I have one course to take this summer, a hard one too. The second calculus based physics, 4 nights a week for 8 weeks. Everyone who took it last summer told me it was a 2 month marathon.

Either way, I can taste this it is so close. I spent most of this semester always playing catch-up, between all of the extreme stresses at work, the stresses at home, the stresses financially. But now it has hit me, and I’ve been catching up quick.

Either way, I’m almost done, and for the first time in my life I get the chance to “walk.” Nothing like that to get you going. Now all I need is to hear back from UNCC regarding my application to transfer.