Bursar aims to keep parents, students informed

For many at IU, the bursar is a place where students send their money and never see it again. 

Although students might feel somewhat disconnected from the Office of the Bursar, the disconnect certainly not by design.

At its core, the bursar is the University’s student billing department. Students can pay their room and board, tuition, Health Center and other miscellaneous fees all online, in person or by mail.

Executive Associate of the Bursar,  Kimberley A. Kercheval, is one of the people in charge of helping students and parents get a grip on the bursar.

“We spend a lot of time teaching students, parents and others about how the IU system works, instructing on e-billing and e-payment questions, where to find information, who to contact for assistance,” Kercheval said in an e-mail interview.

The goal is to keep parents and students informed about what’s going on with their billing accounts. This even includes things students might not want parents to know about – like parking tickets, library fines and going over your printer quota, Kercheval said.

Everything from donations to the IU Dance Marathon and even season tickets to IU athletic events are all billable to the bursar.

Junior Kelley Guzman is one of the many IU students who uses the bursar to pay for her medical expenses.

“Outside of tuition, I rarely use the bursar for anything other than trips to the Health Center,” Guzman said.

The other place students can get medical aid charged to the bursar is the IU Optometry Clinic. At the clinic students can get their eyes checked as well as purchase prescription glasses.

Juan Gamarra, like many other freshmen, finds the bursar fairly confusing.

“Sometimes I don’t understand what the charges are, but it’s my first year, so I’ll get over it,” he said. 

It’s not only students who have problems with the bursar – their parents can also have difficulty with the system.

“My mom has problems with late fees because she never knows when a payment is due, and I never seem to get an e-mail about it,” Guzman said.

Alumnus Dan Corson-Knowles remembers a time when students could bill textbooks to their accounts.

“You used to be able to bill books bought at the IU bookstore to the bursar, but it was anti-competitive so they were forced to stop letting students do that,” Corson-Knowles said.

Gamarra also had some common desires for bursar improvement.

“It would be a lot easier if you could just place your money in the bursar and have your meal points on there, as well as anything else you might need money for,” Gamarra said. “It would also be nice if the bursar’s Web site was easier to access.”

Students must also be careful not to overspend and to pay attention to deadlines.

“If bursar balances are not paid on time, students are subject to late payment fees, may be prohibited from enrolling in subsequent semesters and may be denied access to University records and services,” Kercheval said.