The fight to end late fees
The Young Democratic Socialists of America at Weber State University have been fighting since early this year to get rid of late fees at WSU in order to support students heavily affected by the penalty of late fees.
In response to the impact late fees have, YDSA has started a petition that has, as of now, gotten around 250 signatures. After speaking with the student body president of WSU, YDSA sent the petition to WSU President Brad Mortensen but has yet to receive any feedback from him.
Since pairing up with WSU’s NAACP, Student Senate and the LGBTQ student organization, their push to rid WSU of late fees has gained a large following. They have gained almost 100 signatures since the beginning of the fall semester and still hope to gain more.
“We just feel that this issue is very important, as it impacts some of the most vulnerable students, specifically the students in the university that happen upon financial hardships,” Spencer Fox, Vice Chair of YDSA, said. “We feel it’s a bit of a regressive tax; that’s the reason that it kind of resonated with so many people.”
Since Weber State is a public university, and Ogden is considered one of the poorer municipalities in the state of Utah, YDSA feels that the late fees are hindering WSU students. The punishment of late fees especially penalizes non-traditional students and those from marginalized backgrounds.
“People are choosing whether to eat or pay tuition, and when they do eat, they feel bad for making that decision,” Nate Holland, treasurer for YDSA, said. “These people are not very represented and not really heard.”
YDSA’s mission is to help students at WSU feel heard and to protect the interests of the student body. Through their petition and their surveys, they have tried to give a voice to the students who are most affected by the university’s late fees.
The organization wants to highlight not only the original late fee’s costs, but the interests that those fees can rack up, and how quickly a $40 fee can turn into crippling debt for WSU students.
“Currently, there’s a non-refundable $40 fee that gets added 30 days after the beginning of the semester,” Brexton Olesky-Lee, Chair for YDSA, said. “Twelve percent interest fee is added on top of the late fee as early as four weeks after. There’s a one percent collection fee added each week. Twelve percent APR is almost the type of debt you get from credit cards. The university essentially sending its students into credit card debt is just absolutely ridiculous.”
YDSA wants WSU to be a place of learning. To do that, they want to make sure everyone gets the chance to learn without worrying about fees and interest due to a late payment by pushing WSU away from relying on late fees during their yearly budgeting.
“Part of our club’s overarching goals is increasing class consciousness and solidarity, so we would just like the students at Weber State to understand that we’re one body, and we all have shared interests because of our place in the university as students, so coming together on this issue is a great way to show that solidarity and to show the university that we are stronger together,” Fox said.
Mireya • Nov 29, 2022 at 10:09 am
The information regarding the late fees and collection fees is incorrect, late fees are added on the Friday before classes start not 30 days after and it is possible for it to be refunded. That is only one example of misinformation being shared to an entire student body, maybe referring to the website with the policy or even a cashier worker for the correct information should’ve been the route taken. I understand the frustration but not fact checking your information is detrimental.
Brexton Olesky-Lee • Dec 5, 2022 at 9:22 pm
Hi,
Here is the policy as it currently exists on the website. To my understanding, the fee is non-refundable as it says “The $40 late payment fee is non-refundable and cannot be waived.” However, your other point is correct.
Late Payment Fee
A $40 late payment fee may be assessed to all students who have not paid their tuition and fee balance in full, signed up for a University approved Monthly Payment Plan, have pending Financial Aid, or have their third-party voucher submitted to Cashiers by the payment deadline. (Details of the payment deadlines can be found HERE.) If there is an outstanding balance after financial aid or scholarships have been applied, the student is responsible to pay this amount by the payment deadline to avoid the late payment fee. The $40 late payment fee is non-refundable and cannot be waived.
After the payment deadline, students have until Friday at 4 p.m. the week a student registers or changes classes to avoid the late payment fee.
Interest Assessment
Interest assessment on unpaid balances will begin 30 days after the beginning of the semester. The annual rate is 12%. You can avoid interest charges as long as you are enrolled in a Monthly Payment Plan or have pending Financial Aid that covers all tuition and fees. Interest on unpaid balances will be assessed in addition to the late/collection payment fees.
Holds
A hold may be placed the student record if the student is not enrolled in a monthly payment plan or courses are not paid by the end of the third week of class each semester. Holds prevent registration add/drops, graduation, and the printing of transcripts.
Collections
A 1% collection fee will be assessed each week of the Semester to any unpaid balance on your account beginning as early as four(4) weeks after the payment deadline. These charges will be in addition to interest and late fees and will not exceed 10% of the unpaid balance. In the event your account remains unpaid, it may be referred out for additional collection enforcement.