Too Legit to Quit

AT AMS ASSEMBLY

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:26:06 -0500

Too Legit to Quit is at AMS assembly right now and is freaking out a little bit due to the large crowd. We are hoping that out agenda point will be go first and will not get over shadowed. I hope supporters are doing well.

Love and Solidarity friends.

AMS Assembly CALL-OUT for support

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:23:14 -0500

AMS Assembly CALL-OUT for support:

Come to assembly to help support a motion for the AMS to endorse a more accessible and much less fucked up commitment to pay model.

The motions is as follows:

That AMS Assembly, being a representative body of all undergraduate students at Queen’s, request that the registrar’s office make the following changes to the commitment to pay process:

• That during the summer registration process (September 1st fee payment deadline) the commitment to pay is ensured by a simple statement or checkbox that allows the student to pay their fee balance by September 30th, not putting the onus on the student to prove their ability to pay to the administration.
• That if a student is still unable to pay by September 30th, that a deferral be granted unconditionally until January 30th.
• That there should not be sanctions applied to students who cannot pay in full on September 1st. All students should have their student cards validated and have access to the add/drop period regardless of their financial ability.

POSTER!!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:19:12 -0500

POSTER!!

More shots of the awesome banner on Gordon hall this morning!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:00:00 -0500

More shots of the awesome banner on Gordon hall this morning!

MEME TIME !!!!!!!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:36:17 -0500

MEME TIME !!!!!!!

theme song?

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:18:57 -0500

theme song?

MEME TIME !!!!!!!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:11:26 -0500

MEME TIME !!!!!!!

Oh, what’s this? A really awesome banner on Gordon...

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:03:40 -0500

Oh, what’s this? A really awesome banner on Gordon hall?

it reads:

“Club Q- $5,000-$10,000 at the door”

Journal article about the town hall on the commitment to pay process

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:35:41 -0500

Journal article about the town hall on the commitment to pay process:

The Journal staff showed up half way through the townhall last Tuesday and came up with the article. Contrary to the quote at the end of the article, we feel the registrars office did a terrible job responding to student concerns regarding the commitment to pay process. Joanna Brady and co. seemed to equate the issues with the process to a lack of communication while ignoring the real financial concerns or students with the process.

An open letter from a group of low income students regarding the commitment to pay

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:28:37 -0500

To whom it may concern,

We are writing to express our concern over the proposed changes to the commitment to pay procedure. As a group of lower income students we question the financial accessibility and classist implications of the new commitment to pay model.

In previous years, the commitment to pay process involved checking a box during the initial registration process. The proposed changes would mean a multi-stage process for proving the financial ability of a student to pay tuition.

During the SOLUS information town hall it was very unclear as to how students will meet the demands of the new commitment to pay process. If a student does not have access to one of the narrow, pre-approved sources of funding (ie. OSAP, third party contracts, etc.) they are counselled to explain their unique financial situation to the registrars office. This process means that lower income students are made to jump through even more hoops in order attend this institution. For students who already have to invest more time and resources into finding the money to pay for university, these extra steps are an added barrier to attending Queen’s University.

So far it has been made very unclear as to why these changes in the commitment to pay process are being made. The demand to display and prove sources of money to pay tuition is a process that will only affect lower income students. The inability to pay all tuition at once should not necessitate an explanation of a students specific financial resources. The requirement to disclose financial sources is not demanded of students who are privileged with the ability to pay in full on September 1st. The implications of having a more involved commitment to pay process is about more than submitting extra paperwork, its about lower income students having to justify their ability and right to attend this institution.

We are proposing the following changes be made to the commitment to pay process. If students are unable to make the September 1st payment, the administration should trust that students will do whatever they can to pay their tuition and fees and should therefore accept a simple statement of this promise from students. If students know they will be unable to make the September 1st payment date they should be allowed the time to gather the required finances and make that payment before January 30. During summer registration the commitment to pay process should be a simple and accessible statement or box checked that allows the student to specify the need to pay in installments until the full tuition costs are met. Additionally there should not be sanctions applied to students who cannot pay in full on September 1st. All students should have their students card validated and have access to add/drop regardless of their financial ability. This commitment to pay statement should not require deliberation on the part of the registrar’s or student awards office but should be granted unconditionally to all those who ask.

Thank you for your time and consideration

The new payment schedule from the registrars website.

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:57:52 -0500

Payment Process

New Deadline Dates

July - August 2011

No minimum payment is due. Courses will not be lost for non-payment

Awards

Undergraduate / Law Students:

Admission Awards, Renewable Awards, and Upper-Year Scholarship Decisions made prior to September 1st, 2011 will be applied directly against tuition charges, thereby reducing (or possibly eliminating) any outstanding balance.

First payment due

Tuition fees for the 2011-2012 Academic year (Fall / Winter) and any other outstanding debts, or a Commitment to Pay, will be required by September 1st, 2011

Graduate Students:

Graduate students who are not on the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan must pay their Fall fees by September 1st, 2011, or confirm their payment details with a Commitment to Pay.

Missing the September 1st deadline

A Late Registration Charge of $150 will be assessed if tuition is not paid in full or if the Commitment to Pay has not been submitted and approved.

Commitment to Pay

Students with a 2011-2012 OSAP entitlement will receive an automatic deferral of the September 1st, 2011 date for the amount up to the value of the OSAP entitlement

Students with proof of funding from elsewhere (e.g. student loans from other jurisdictions, grants, external awards, third-party contracts, Band funding) must complete the Commitment to Pay in order to have the Late Registration Charge waived.

International Students:

First Year Graduate Students are required to show intent to participate in the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan
Undergraduate Students may submit a Commitment to Pay for up to 50% of their tuition and other fees until January 31, 2012

Course-related consequences for non-payment

Students will not be able to participate in the adding / dropping of courses and will not have their student cards validated

All fees - Due date

The balance of student fees and residence fees will be due on September 30th, 2011

Service charges

Service Charges will accrue on unpaid balances starting October 1st, 2011, and will be applied the last business day of the month.

Undergraduate Students:

Undergraduate students receiving OSAP will automatically receive a waiver of service charges up to 40% of the value of the OSAP entitlement provided that students process their first instalment.
Out-of-province students who have submitted a Commitment to Pay, and are receiving government assistance, will receive a waiver of service charges up to the amount of their second instalment.

Changes to tuition payment have been coming out of Office of the...

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:18:46 -0500

Changes to tuition payment have been coming out of Office of the University Registrar in Gordon hall and will be implemented officially in a few days. These changes are apparently written in stone as our new student registration system, SOLUS, is not one of the computer systems that can be programmed…

Students will now forgo the summer minimum registration payment and will be forced to pay the entirety of their tuition on September 1st in order to be considered a full/legitimate student. Needless to say, these changes have negative impacts on low-income students who might have a hard time compiling a lump sum of $5000-$10,000.