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Business
office offers new form of student fee payment online Editor-in-Chief
Students
now have an easier option for paying their fees. The
business office is offering a method of payment online by credit card.
Students can pay their fees through Lion Link. We
knew we were getting more automated, said Rob Yust, treasurer. In
the past, not everybody had a computer, and this wouldn t be as
beneficial. But now everybody has a computer, so it s getting to the
point where it s going to be beneficial to us and the students. To
pay fees online, students my log on to the Missouri Southern Web site at
www.mssc.edu and click on Lion Link. On the left side green bar, click
on fee statement, then enter a student identification and password. Then
click on fee statement again to view the student account charges. This
is really a better fee statement than what we send out on a monthly
basis [by mail] because this is updated instantaneously, Yust said. Next,
click on fee payment and choose the type of fee to be paid: current
semester fees, previous semester fees, residence hall deposit or other. We
hope to expand this in the future and add the admissions charge, Yust
said. Students
can then enter the amount they wish to pay. For security measures, they
must then enter their student identification number again. Then go on to
the click here to proceed icon. A
new screen will then come up asking for credit card information, billing
information and an authorization of the transaction. All this
information goes directly to VeriSign, a nationwide credit card service. It s
one of the biggest ones in the nation, in fact, Yust said. Then
in about 10 seconds, VeriSign sends an e-mail to the business office and
the student verifying the transaction. VeriSign
is very strict about security measures, Yust said. Some
students, however, still question the safety of using their credit card
number online. I
don t like to pay online because I feel more comfortable handing over
the check, said Marcela Yates, sophomore secondary education major. Ashley
Edwards, sophomore health promotion and wellness major, said she likes
paying by check because it s proof you paid. The
business office spent nearly a year creating this form of payment. It
had to put the credit card service out to bid, and then sign contractual
agreements with VeriSign. The office also made agreements with
Joplin s Arvest Bank to collect the revenues received online. Yust
said the long wait was worth it. He said paying this way makes
accounting much easier because it saves time compared to paying manually
and over the telephone. Going
through VeriSign eliminates manpower and potential errors on our
side, Yust said. Yust
also said the student reaction to this method of payment has been
positive. Since the implementation of the program in mid-July, 240
students have paid this way. I
think it will probably double or triple in the upcoming semesters,
Yust said. It s a lot better way to do things. The
business office continues to advertise the opportunity to pay through
Lion Link on bills, in newspapers, on Southern s Web site and through
other forms of correspondence with students. On
the other hand, Edwards and Yates said they have not noticed much
advertisement for this
program. Yates, in fact, had no idea it even existed. She thinks it will
take a while for many students to pay this way. It
will take a semester or two just to get the word out, Yates said. Edwards,
however, said once everyone does get notice, many students probably will
pay over Lion Link. They
would rather go for convenience than proof, she said. Yust
said without a doubt he recommends students pay this way. It s just a good system, he said. I hope everybody will catch on to this and pay that route. It s a lot better this way. |