Watch out: Bursar's hold

Brace yourself for the two most terrifying words you will ever hear at Yale: bursar's hold. Bursar's hold basically means "dead apon arrival" as far as Yale's Administration is concerned. You won't be able to register or eat in the dining halls, you'll be able to shop but not actually take classes, and members of both sexes run screaming from your side. All right, that last one's a lie, but I want you to understand the importance of doing EVERYTHING you can to avoid having these two infamous words associated with you.

Undergraduates are put on bursar's hold if Yale hasn't received their full tuition, due to a lack of financial aid information or a lack of payment. The due date for tuition is July 30th; if you and your parents are unable to get your check to Yale by this date, you will be sent letter in August notifying you of your outstanding balance. This is the last time Yale will inform you of your situation while you can still fix it without a hitch--the next time will be at registration when a less than sympathetic administrator tells you to visit the Bursar's Office to clear up your account. You will then be introduced to some of the longest lines at Yale. It's not a pretty picture.

Yale has taken steps to restructure its financial services, most recently with the Student Administrative Services Improvement Project, designed to--you guessed it--improve the organization of the current system. The main outcome of this project was the formation of Student Financial and Administrative Services (SFAS), combining four separate departments into one umbrella unit in hopes of decreasing miscommunication, misreading, and simple stupidity. This fall, students can access their financial accounts through the network. Any questions can now be answered by punching a few keys; just choose a "bulldog" access code during registration.

If you still end up on bursar's hold, don't go jump off Harkness Tower. The fault could easily lie with the office's records as opposed to your account (although there's much evidence to the contrary, they`re human too). Standing in line at the Bursar's Office isn't the worst thing that could happen to you. We do, however, recommend bringing a book. Read any good Bibles or unabridged dictionaries lately?

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