UH reconsiders late registration fee
Students who don't pay on time will still be dropped from classes, charged $20
By Kim Thai
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: News
A $100 late registration fee that was supposed to be implemented in the fall will be postponed after vocal opposition from the Student Government Association and more than 2,100 students that were informed of the fee through a Facebook group.
"After conferring with various representatives of the UH administration and with our student leaders, we believe it is in everyone's best interest to defer charging this fee for the upcoming semester," Provost Donald Foss said in a prepared statement.
The fee was originally part of a new late registration procedure that was drafted on March 23 that required students to complete their registration process before August 14. Otherwise, they would be charged a $100 fee and be dropped from their enrolled classes, Director of Student Financial Services Gene Gillis said.
If students do not complete their registration process - either by paying their tuition or opting for an installment payment plan - the student will be "zapped" from the class and un-enrolled. Students have two business days to address the issue.
The new procedure still requires students to register before the semester begins because of stipulations in the Texas State Education Code, but the $20 late fee and un-enrollment are the only remaining consequences from the original draft.
"(SGA executives) have convinced me that the statement of 'you have to pay, or you will lose your place in class' is a dramatic enough consequence for students to pay," Foss said during an interview. "I thought the government student leaders did a good job to call it to my attention. They've made a good point. I accept their point. (But) I reserve the right to reevaluate that after the fall term."
Foss said he believes that the original reasoning for the fee increase was to gain student's attention to complete the enrollment process on time. The University has since re-evaluated its position and thinks that a student losing their seat is consequence enough, Foss said.
"After conferring with various representatives of the UH administration and with our student leaders, we believe it is in everyone's best interest to defer charging this fee for the upcoming semester," Provost Donald Foss said in a prepared statement.
The fee was originally part of a new late registration procedure that was drafted on March 23 that required students to complete their registration process before August 14. Otherwise, they would be charged a $100 fee and be dropped from their enrolled classes, Director of Student Financial Services Gene Gillis said.
If students do not complete their registration process - either by paying their tuition or opting for an installment payment plan - the student will be "zapped" from the class and un-enrolled. Students have two business days to address the issue.
The new procedure still requires students to register before the semester begins because of stipulations in the Texas State Education Code, but the $20 late fee and un-enrollment are the only remaining consequences from the original draft.
"(SGA executives) have convinced me that the statement of 'you have to pay, or you will lose your place in class' is a dramatic enough consequence for students to pay," Foss said during an interview. "I thought the government student leaders did a good job to call it to my attention. They've made a good point. I accept their point. (But) I reserve the right to reevaluate that after the fall term."
Foss said he believes that the original reasoning for the fee increase was to gain student's attention to complete the enrollment process on time. The University has since re-evaluated its position and thinks that a student losing their seat is consequence enough, Foss said.
Be the first to comment on this story