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“I also think that as adults, as you enter your academic careers, there’s an accountability. That’s important. It’s part of what you learn in your classroom settings,” Anderson said.

Those two lines of reasoning converged to create a new policy that will go into effect next semester, implementing stronger consequences for those who neglect to pay their bills.

The policy calls for a one-time five percent penalty on students owing over $500. After 30 days, students who owe more than $2000 and haven’t contacted the financial aid department to set up a flexible payment plan will lose privileges to Netmail, the university network, NetStorage, online library databases and material checkout, and Piperline.

CLA students were informed via an e-mail from the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“The important thing is for students to come to the financial aid office and get some kind of payment arrangement,” said Judy Dehnel, director of student accounts.

Dehnel says that as of a week ago, students owed nearly $2 million in fees and tuition, and that nearly 350 students owed more than $500. While she says these numbers are right in line with where they usually are, she called the changes “long overdue.”

“One-fourth of the undergraduate population owes money,” she said. “It’s been a long time since the university has had a policy with some teeth to it.”

Previously, the university used account holds to effectively keep students from registering for new classes or withdrawing from current ones. Under new guidelines, which were approved by the administrative cabinet and a number of high-ranking university officials, students will have 30 days to pay off outstanding bills. During that time, students who owe money will receive warnings from the university about possible repercussions.

However, some students are not pleased with the new policy. “That doesn’t seem fair,” said Matt Glass, a senior math and philosophy major. “Cutting you off from all university communication seems like that would make it more difficult to reach students to resolve the problems they have.”

Junior Nina Churchward, who is in the education program, has a more personal perspective. Churchward, who said she has struggled paying tuition each year, wondered how the changes would affect students. When financial aid lagged behind during her first year at Hamline, the administration gave Churchward the option of not registering for spring classes or moving out of the dorms. She moved out of the dorms and into a relative’s house in Eden Prairie.

“It just seems wrong,” she said. “They’re already struggling. They’re aware of it. I understand why the administration would want to do that, but it feels like it’s opening the door wider for the few gifted who have the funding.”

Presley Martin, interim dean of the CLA said there has been some apprehension from the faculty about students being cut off from Novell services.

“I think the general concern of the faculty is that it would disrupt the progress students would make in class...they were understanding that the university needs to collect the money,” he said.

Anderson noted the severity of the new policy, but says he hopes it will only serve as a deterrent.

“My hope is with the process, that there’s going to be a limited number of students that will see those consequences at the very end,” he said.

Some students, however, say they are concerned about the new policy going too far.

“I really think that from a business standpoint, it’s a better standpoint,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he has been working to change the policy for over four years, but he didn’t want to force changes that were too drastic.

“My understanding is that a fair number of universities who have the same problem de-enroll students,” he said. “We’re taking a middle ground. We’re willing to work with the student body and we’re not taking people out of classes.”

Dehnel says she is willing to work through problems with financial aid, but she also expressed concern that some students wouldn’t communicate with the office of financial aid.

“There certainly is a large percentage of students in debt because of a lack of financial aid paperwork,” she said. “But in a lot of those cases, we have struggled to contact them. A bit stronger policy will hopefully get them into our office.”
In the end, that’s really what it comes down to for Anderson and the department of finance.

“As a university, we have payments to make,” he said. “If people don’t pay us, then we’re going to have a cash flow crunch.”