trojan
Volume CV, Number 6
University of Southern California
Wednesday, June 15, 1988
Students charged health fee after making fee-bill payment
By Gene Kang
Staff Writer
The university sent bills totaling as much as $60 to students last month to make up for its overlooking the health center fee — usually tacked on to the fee bill.
"It is really nothing to worry about," said Priscilla Muha, a counselor at the Office of the Bursar. "The students are still paying the same amount — they were just assessed late."
"We are sorry that we have inconvenienced the students," Muha added. "This is a one-time situation."
Students were given a one-month extension for the deficit, Muha said, adding that they were charged $5 for each week that they have enrolled for. Payment of the fees are due June 24.
The bursar's office did not completely assess the problem until two weeks ago, said Betty Cowin, the bursar.
The reason the fee was originally excluded from the fee bill was that the office's new program in the administration information system was not working at 100 percent, she said.
"The programming department wasn't quite ready in
time," Cowin said. "We knew that the (health center) fees weren't ready to be assessed, but we had to take care of the students who had trouble last fall and spring.
"With all the other priorities, that one wasn't a problem until all the fees regarding tuition, etc., were assessed."
university.
Some even said they haven't received the bill. Nina Galajan, a senior accounting major, said she "didn't get a bill."
"But I see how this could pose a serious inconvenience for the students," Galajan said. "We should have been
UNIVERSITY
OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PAY M ENT COUPON
*
TRANSACTION DATE	REFEREMCE	ACTIVITY	-■ -seBifs/" - CHARGES	"CKCmTs/ "" PAYMENTS
05/10/88	1020	Personal Check Payment - Thank You	0.00	4.709-00
05/2*1/88	631*03	Counter Refund - Cashier's Office	100.00	0.00
05/27/88		Student Health Center, Summer 88	60.00	0.00
Students received a payment coupon (above) listing a student health center fee that is due June 24.
As of yet, the department has not received any complaints pertaining to the health center fee situation.
Students enrolled in the first summer session — which can last from two to 11 weeks
—	had paid what they believed would settle them with the university in May but were somewhat upset to get another bill from the
informed. It is sad that the university would suddenly send you another bill after you thought you were completely settled."
However, Rod Zalunardo, manager of sustems development at the bursar operations office, said, "The students were made aware of the fees in the catalogue of classes."
Grades processed after a long delay
By Jack Crittenden
Staff Writer
After more than a month in which the grades department had to convert data from one computer system to another, grades for the 1988 spring term are finally being released this week, officials said.
Transcripts became available Tuesday, and report cards can be expected to be received within the next week, said Mary Brennan, associate registrar at the Office of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Registration and Records.
The first batch of 26,000 were mailed out Tuesday, Brennan said, adding that the last of the grades will be mailed out by Thursday, June 16.
"It's quite a relief," said Rob Robinson, an operator at the Office of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Registration and Records.
Students have been calling the office every day asking when they will receive their grades, Robinson said.
"I get about four or five calls a day dealing with grades," he said. "Usually, they're waiting for their transcripts to be sent to other schools."
The grades department's projection that grades would be processed by the first week of June was an "unofficial" projection that was never realistically
expected to be met, officials said.
The three-week delay as of the first week of June "is no one's error or fault," Brennan said. "It's simply converting the data from the new computer system back to the old in order to match up with each student's history."
Within the last year, all university offices have transferred to a single integrated student system. Due to this, the grades department was forced to manually transfer data from one system to the other. To compound difficulties, the two systems have different file structures.
The slow conversion process, which has created the recent delays, should be completed by the fall of 1988, Brennan said. Fall '88 semester grades can be expected to be released a mere three weeks after the last final in December, she said, that is, if all instructors turn in their grade cards on time.
Grades for the first summer session (courses ending any time prior to June 29) are expected to be released during the third week of July, Brennan said.
"When we are not dealing with a conversion problem, the grade process is only three weeks," she said. "Our No. 1 goal is to get the grades out as soon as possible."
Handbook to compile women’s resources
By Jennifer Glickman
Staff Writer
Although a proposal for a Women's Resource Center was rejected last semester, a women's resource handbook is now being compiled for distribution in the fall.
"It's not something that's taking the place of a Women's Resource Center, but it's one way to get people aware of what exists already ... a launching point," said Melanie Stephens, a staff member of the Office of Overseas Studies and assistant to Connie Horak.
"We wanted to create the maximum amount of good with whatever money we wind up with," she said.
Stephens said the Women's Resource Center Planning Committee is using part of its $20,000 allocated fund to publish the handbook.
The $20,000 fund to be used for WRC-related projects was of-
fered by Lyn Hutton, one of the administrators responsible for the rejection of the first proposal for a center (on the grounds that $300,000 was too expensive). Hutton offered the money and consideration of a revised proposal after the April 14 rally sponsored by the Student Alliance for a Non-sexist Society.
Horak is the only person who would know about the specific costs of this project, Stephens said. However, Horak, who is in charge of the WRCPC, was out of town and unavailable for comment.
The handbook will be modeled after other university women's resource handbooks and will list nearly 100 sources in many different areas, ranging from counseling to sexual harassment to child care.
Many on-campus programs and contact people will also be listed as well as numerous organizations in the vicinity of the
(Continued on page 3)
Kl SEO KIM / SUMMER TROJAN
More than 12,000 people, many of whom were children, attended the diamond anniversary celebration of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County last Sunday. See story on page 2.