A computer glitch in the University’s student accounts system seems to have been the cause of a number of erroneous charges generated when students added or dropped classes during the first few weeks of school. While University officials have happily refunded the fees to many proactive students who report the errors, there has not been a concerted effort to deal with what appears to be a system-wide issue. It is incumbent upon the University to proactively rectify the problem for the remainder of students currently unaware of a potential charge.
University administrators admitted to The Hatchet that this problem has existed within GW’s computer systems for years, and may take up to an additional year to fix.
As adults, it is every student’s responsibility to keep track of their accounts and report any errors. A University student account, however, is not a bank account.
Most students only check their accounts when they know that there might be changes. No student has the time to continually monitor their balances for errors.
The larger issue is the disconnect between the department responsible for the fees, Student Accounts, and the department responsible for the computer systems that charge the fees, Information Systems and Services. Once again, the sprawling bureaucracy of the University has hindered its ability to provide effective services to students. Though the nature of GW bureaucracy will not change overnight, the University could work harder to make sure that students are aware when problems arise that might affect their education or finances.
It appears as if there will be no immediate solution to the computer glitch causing the charges. Thus, students should be vigilant over the next few weeks about checking their accounts as they continue to add and drop classes, reporting any errors immediately in order to receive a refund. For its part, the University could send out a blast e-mail informing students of the errors and asking for diligence among the student body in monitoring their own accounts.
