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THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
• Mid-to-late July: A postcard was mailed to permanent addresses and a series of reminder emails, text messages and phone calls were made to students who still owed a balance throughout the month of July.
• Early-to-mid July: “To the family of” letters were sent to the permanent addresses of students who owed tuition.
• Aug. 1: Tuition due.
• Aug. 2: 2.25 percent Late fee is assessed.
• Aug. 22: Students interested in paying their bill in installments through the payment plan must enroll.
• Aug. 6: Students sent second e-bill with 2.25 percent increase.
• Sept. 1: Students who have an outstanding tuition balance of over $1,000 are to be removed from classes Sept. 4
WVU removes students who failed to pay tuition from classes BY JOE SEVERINO NEWS EDITOR WVU students who have an outstanding tuition balance of over $1,000 on Sept. 1 were officially removed from classes on Tuesday, Provost Joyce McConnell wrote in an email to faculty on Wednesday. Students have until Friday to be reinstated if they were removed from classes Tuesday. A $250 fee must be paid and a student’s tuition balance must be under $1,000, according to an FAQ attachment to the email. This is an expanded practice from the spring 2018 semester when WVU implemented a “soft drop” policy. Last spring, if a student had not paid their tuition bal-
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A LOOK INSIDE
Tuition Payment Process • First week of July: Students in the WVU System received an electronic bill in their MIX accounts.
7. Chill 8. Feature 9. Sports 10. Sports 11. Classifieds 12. Ad
ance to under $2,500 or enrolled in a payment plan by Feb. 12, 35 days after classes began, students were removed from their classes. McConnell wrote that on Feb. 2 of last spring, 502 students had not paid under the $2,500 mark and were dropped from their classes. Four hundred and eight of those students were reinstated by Feb. 16. The attachment wrote that “in the spring 2018 semester, there were nearly 1,400 students carrying a balance of $1,000 or more, resulting in excess of $7 million in delayed revenue for the University.” Numbers for this semester were not included in the email. This semester, a 2.25 percent late fee was assessed on Aug. 2 for
students who had not paid under $1,000 or enrolled in a payment plan. McConnell wrote that 74 percent of students then paid or enrolled in a plan, a 15 percent increase from the fall 2017 semester. According to the attachment, zero-payers were down by 1,700 students from the same date in 2017. Students who owe the University less than $1,000 but over $200 can remain in classes, but a hold will be placed on the student’s account and will be assessed a late fee. Students who are also University employees can no longer work until debts are paid off. Also on the attachment, the University writes it may have taken student removals lightly in
the past, but will now strictly enforce the rule. “Yes, it is true that the University has been inconsistent in the past,” it wrote. “This pattern has resulted in additional debt being carried by both the student and the University. Moving forward, the University wants to ensure it is being a good steward of its funds, as well as not allowing students to fall into deeper debt.” “The late fee and removal from class policies were adjusted with the goal of reinforcing the message to students that the University takes financial responsibility seriously,” it continued. “An important part of transitioning to adulthood is learning the importance of paying your bills on time.”
Brazaitis to run for U.S. Senate Former WVU professor, stripped of deputy mayor position, announces write-in bid page 3
Law Students aim to reverse wrongful convictions West Virginia Innocence Project works to exonerate wrongfully convicted West Virginians
page 3
Background checks soon to be required for all University employees BY DOUGLAS SOULE AND JOE SEVERINO EDITORINCHIEF AND NEWS EDITOR All WVU employees will soon be subject to a background check before taking a job with the University, according to a draft policy by WVU Talent and Culture. WVU is currently the only Big 12 school that did not require background checks for all employees, according to a question and answer document on the Sept. 10 WVU Fac-
ulty Senate meeting agenda. The Faculty Senate will be discussing and receiving information about the background check changes during the September meeting. Currently, WVU employees who work with children are subject to a background check, following a rule adopted by the WVU Board of Governors in January. The draft policy would require a person to complete a pre-employment background check after a verbal hire. The checks will look at the
following: •Address verification •Social Security number check •A county, statewide and federal criminal records search •A search of sexual offenders registry •Driving records •A state and federal debarment check Most University positions will not have to undergo a credit check, according to the agenda documents. A former employee will not have to complete another background check unless there is at
least a 12-month break in employment. A check may also be required if an employee switches University departments. An employee must consent to the background check beforehand. A third-party vendor, as of now unnamed, will conduct the check. After a check is conducted, WVU’s Talent and Culture Department will alert the provost or vice president if adverse information is found. Then, the provost and/or vice president will make the call if the candidate will be hired.
Simmons’ touchdown catch “a long time coming” Touchdown catch not even intended for him page 10
SEE ‘BACKGROUND CHECKS’ P. 7
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