The College is planning to implement a new billing system, which could be in use as early as Fall term, that would divide students' expenses into two separate bills, according to Director of Financial Services Win Johnson.
Under the new system, one bill that would include "cost of attendance charges" like tuition and room and board would be sent home, while another that would include miscellaneous expenses and fines would be sent directly to students' hinman boxes.
Under the proposed system, which Johnson called the Dartcard Program, students would establish a declining balance account on their College Identification cards.
Dartcard program
The Dartcard program would be comprised of four accounts: an administrative fee account, a discretionary account, a dining account and a Dartalk account, that would be billed to students' hinman boxes.
The administrative fee account would include fines for non-compliance with College regulations such as parking fines, late registration fees, alcohol policy violations, library fines and lost ID charges.
The discretionary account would include charges for concert tickets, College publications, Dartmouth Outing Club rentals, alcohol purchases at the Lone Pine Tavern and Hanover Inn, game room charges, dining service charges in excess of the selected meal plan and fraternity and sorority dues.
The dining accounts and Dartalk accounts will remain essentially unchanged.
Students will be able to monitor the balances of each of the four accounts, by accessing a Dartcard program file through the Dartmouth College Information System, Johnson said.
Deposits to all accounts will be made through the Dartcard Office, which Johnson said will be located in what is currently the Validine Office.
Validine database manager Jeannette Montgomery said students will be permitted to exceed their credit on the discretionary account plan by $100.
Montgomery said deposits can be made by check or credit card and a $100 credit is necessary to establish a Dartcard account.
Montgomery said Dartcard use will be available to all students with an active Dartmouth Plan.
For many reasons
According to the proposal, the change to the billing system was made in part to address "new federal cash management regulations which have significantly complicated the manner in which Dartmouth must process student charges."
The proposal states that under the new federal regulations, which affect financial aid, many charges that are currently processed on the student bill are "non-allowable."
In addition, the proposal states that the changes will allow the College to offer more opportunities for students to make cashless purchases around campus.
"Furthermore," the proposal reads, "it permits the College to extend these services without relying on its own working capital to underwrite each student's entire line of credit."
Johnson said the current billing system was not adequate for day-to day living expenses.
The current billing system has "no credit limit. It is just a black hole," he said. "That can get students in trouble."
The new service, Johnson said, also allows the College to capitalize on new technology.
'Most varied of all universities'
Johnson said one of the "pluses" of the new billing system is extended use of credit for students. He said students can now use their IDs for Dartmouth Outing Club charges and hopefully will be able to use their cards for dormitory washers and dryers, photocopies and vending machines in the future.
He said the administrative account plan gives students more latitude to resolve issues themselves," since fines will be sent directly to students.
Business Manager of Student life Brenda Goupee said she thinks the plan benefits students.
"I think it is a positive plan," she said. "I think that everyone is working on it so that it is positive for students."
Goupee said she did not think the plan would have negative repercussions or the sale of student publications and performances.
"I wouldn't think it would impact on it greatly, for most students take care of these charges already," she said.
Montgomery said under the new plan, the College's billing system will be "the most varied of all universities."
"It gives Dartmouth students more choices," she said.
Johnson said most colleges have declining balances on their student accounts.
"It is more the exception that places don't have debit plans," he said.
The new billing system is similar to the system introduced at Brown University last September.
Students at Brown are required to keep a declining balance on their student IDs and receive bills for charges made on their IDs, according to the Quality Controller in Brown's Bursor's Office.
She said the plan at Brown was "fairly popular" and has received "no complaints."
Student Assembly President Jim Rich '96 said the Assembly is still looking at the proposal and will most likely make some recommendations to the proposal committee.
Rich said while some technicalities may still need to be ironed out, the system will allow students a lot of flexibility while at the same time making them responsible for some charges that were formerly sent home.
"As it stands right now, it looks to be a very good system," he said.
Pieces must fall into place
Johnson said in order to implement the plan the College must now focus on communicating its idea to students and establish the necessary technology.
College Business Manager Bill Barr said, "A lot of pieces of the plan still must fall into place."
Johnson said the committee that devised the plan is now working to educate students about the billing system and will ask students to help rename the College IDs which the committee temporarily calls "Dartcard."
Barr said the plan has been presented to the Committee On Student Life and Palaeopitus, a group of senior leaders who advise the Dean of the College and the College president, and that the they are open to student input concerning changes in the billing system.
Johnson said the reaction of the two student groups "has been guarded."
Students were principally concerned about fees but enthusiastic about increased charging ability, he said.
Barr said, "there has not been a negative response."
In order to educate students' parents about the new billing system, the committee plans "to put together a typical budget to give parents an idea of how much credit to put on the Dartcard," Johnson said.
Johnson said Dean of the College Lee Pelton and College Treasurer Lynn Hutton support the proposed billing system.
Pelton and Hutton have "endorsed the concept and encourage moving ahead with it," he said.
