Unpaid tickets prevent diplomas

Seniors making their final preparations for graduation should be aware if they don't pay all their fees from the past four years, they won't receive a diploma. If parking tickets or other miscellaneous fees go unpaid, IU will not send a diploma or transcript to students during the summer following commencement. \nParking Manager Doug Porter said the most common scenario for seniors graduating with unpaid parking tickets is that they go home, don't realize they have unpaid tickets and unfortunately don't receive their diplomas in the mail like their friends and colleagues.\n"One month after commencement, the registrar calculates the number of credits for a graduated student and stamps his or her transcript, allowing the University to finally send the student his or her diploma, Porter said"\nTravis Leake, a parking operations employee, said parking tickets range from $20 to $200, depending on specific violations.\nPorter has found some seniors who are graduating do not care about unpaid bursar fees, receiving their diploma. Porter said the real problem comes when students apply to graduate schools or for jobs and request transcripts. He said by IU policy, all fees must be paid in full to receive a final transcript.\n"(Students) will not only be prevented from receiving transcripts and their diplomas, but if they are continuing at IU, they will be unable to register for subsequent semesters," Porter said.\nPorter said it's common to see seniors starting to pay attention to possible fees as commencement nears in order to avoid stressful situations. \n"The bursar keeps sending letters to graduates even after they have left IU for them to pay their bills," Porter said. "During the last couple weeks of the semester, seniors begin to pay attention to paying parking tickets. The bursar will keep adding late fees to students' accounts when they continue to go unpaid." \nSenior David Meyerson said it's imperative for graduating seniors to pay their parking tickets before they graduate and leave IU.\n"Since it's the policy of the campus to collect fees from parking tickets, seniors should bear the responsibility of paying the money that is owed to the campus," Meyerson said.\nMeyerson, who has received numerous parking tickets in the past, said he cautions students about parking.\n"Just be careful where you park," Meyerson said. "If you get a ticket, pay it as soon as possible because you will have a rude awakening if you can't receive your diploma."\nMeyerson said he believes the parking operations at IU are too strict with student parking, which adds to seniors not paying their tickets.\n"Parking tickets are too expensive and over-inflated," Meyerson said. "There should be more availability for parking. Kids are going to drive to their classes and so there should be more spots available."\nJunior Lauren Schackman said seniors who do not pay their parking tickets find themselves in "Catch 22" situations.\n"They are stuck," Schackman said. "IU will try to get as much money from them as they possibly can. They will keep charging seniors' bursar accounts until all fees are paid."\nSchackman agrees more availability of parking spots will reduce parking tickets and the possibility of seniors not being able to receive their diplomas and transcripts.\n"If student parking is increased, students will be more encouraged to go on campus," Schackman said. "All of the spots are for teachers and other faculty, which makes parking a hassle for students"