Dive Summary:
- By the end of the last fiscal year, current and former students at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University had more than $8 million in unpaid, non-tuition charges made to their bursar accounts, but officials at the schools say they aren't giving students lines of credit--an act that would violate state law.
- Housing and food services items account for the largest portion of unpaid bursar charges at both universities, totaling $5.8 million, with around $2.3 million being owed for parking tickets, library fees, tickets to athletic events, health care and campus technology store purchases--though OU's IT store has since made changes to its policy.
- OU spokeswoman Catherine Bishop said students were permitted to make certain charges to their bursar accounts “to provide students with an outstanding overall educational experience, which includes working with them to meet their financial obligations," and OSU spokesman Gary Shutt's comments echoed those remarks.
From the article:
Current and former students at Oklahoma's two largest universities have charged millions of dollars in athletic tickets, computer products, doctor visits and other nontuition items to bursar accounts over the years. By the end of last fiscal year, students at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University had at least $8 million in unpaid, nontuition charges made to their bursar accounts, which are maintained by universities to facilitate payments and handle other school-related business. ...