Written by Erin Martin, Staff Writer

A new change will be implemented in the fall that will give students more time to pay for their classes.

Under a previous policy, students who didn’t have funding for their classes would have their classes dropped at the beginning of the semester. Then the “Add/Drop” period would start and other students would be able to pick up classes that were once full or unavailable. During this period, students who had their classes dropped would then have to re-register, or try to get an override into the course.

This fall, there will now be one time when students are kicked out for non-payment.

Tee Mitchell, executive director of enrollment services, gave some insight into this adjustment and what difference it will make for the university.

“We’re trying to make changes that will help the students,” Mitchell said. “Whether you’re paying through FASFA or coming out of pocket, students have a little more time to get their funds together.”

Mitchell explains how this adjustment will put the student body in solidarity. Students that registered in April will have until the end of the first week, just like a student who registered later in August.

“From a consistency standpoint, instead of having students worry about when the money will be due, there’s now one deadline for students to pay,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell says that the university has been planning this for a while now. The change was brought on after the university noticed concerns from students in registering and paying for classes. Mitchell thinks it will be a positive change for students, but notes a drawback of it as well.

“When you initially kick out students for nonpayment, it opens up seats for someone else who was waiting for a class,” Mitchell said. “There were previously two kick outs for nonpayment, but now there’s only one.”

However, with a decline in enrollment, the university doesn’t foresee any problems with classes being full. Students are still advised to register early.

Students on campus gave different opinions on the change.

“I’m neutral on their decision, because I can see the good and bad sides,” Winston Suen, senior history major, said. “It’s a good idea for financial reasons. I always feel bad for students who can’t pay their tuition.”

Stephanie Carreno, a recent VSU graduate, does not feel that the change is very effective.

“If a student is really having financial problems, I don’t think that giving them an extra week would help anything,” Carreno said. “I think they could wait until they distribute refund checks, but maybe this is small progress to something better in the future.”

Students should be aware of these changes and register early to make sure that they’ll be in the necessary courses for the semester. If students need assistance registering for classes, they should contact their advisor or department head.