The Oswego State student accounts office has updated their policies, and students with financial holds may now register without first clearing the hold from their accounts.
Victoria Furlong, the vice president of finance and budget for Oswego State, said while certain parts of the change have not yet been decided on, the issue of registering while under a financial hold has been settled.
“Financial holds no longer prevent students from registering for classes,” Furlong said. “Senior administration continues to discuss the handling of diplomas and transcripts.”
As of now, college policy on diplomas and transcripts will remain the same, where students are not permitted to receive their diplomas or request transcripts from the college registrar’s office with outstanding account bills.
Furlong said this change came as a result of an internal push in the administration to reevaluate registration hold policies.
Financial holds placed on a student’s account can be placed due to a failure to pay the semester’s bill and, depending on the balance remaining on a student’s account, may even lead to deregistration. If a hold results from the charges, in the past, students needed to address the issue in full before being able to register, something that could prevent the student from registering for necessary classes.
“The administration aims for all students to have a seamless pathway to continuing their academic progress,” Furlong said. “By allowing students to register during the standard registration period unimpeded, they are able to gain access to courses they need to successfully persist here at Oswego.”
This change extends to all financial holds processed by student accounts. Furlong said “any outstanding financial obligation” will no longer prevent registration, including Penfield Library and parking ticket fines. Incoming freshmen will still receive an incoming student or orientation hold on their accounts before their first semester begins.
With the parking office, fines are charged when students receive parking tickets and are managed by the parking office for the first 10 days, according to Cindy Trombly, a parking office employee.
“If a current student incurs a parking fine, after 10 business days if the parking fine is not paid, we then transfer that over to student accounts, and they add it to the students bill,” Trombly said.
A student may view what holds exist on their account from their MyOswego page, under the registration tab, where one or more of four different holds can be listed.
The change to how holds at Oswego State work is ongoing, and certain details, including what effect they have on transferring or graduating, have not yet been finalized.
“I am not exactly sure how [student accounts] holds are affecting students at this point,” Trombly said.
Graphic by Samantha Flavell | The Oswegonian
