STUDENTS who enrolled a week after the official start of classes this semester were slapped a P1,000 penalty, a move administrators said was meant to “discipline” late enrollees.
The student council claimed there were no consultations, and is waiting for an official explanation.
“I was never informed. I asked the Student Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC) if they were informed about it (penalty fee), they said they were not informed either,” Central Student Council (CSC) president Angelo Cachero said in a phone interview.
However, Marissa Gonzales, UST assistant chief accountant, said the P1,000 penalty for late enrollees was discussed during the time of Reyner Villaseñor, Cachero’s predecessor, and was again taken up during the consultation for tuition increases before the academic year started.
“The penalty fee was supposed to be implemented (last) semester. But we thought that it was too early (from the time we talked about it during the tuition consultation). So we decided to move it (to) the second semester,” Gonzales told the Varsitarian.
The penalty fee for late enrollees this semester confused most students, who thought the fee is automatically charged once they enroll beyond the scheduled dates.
Assistant Treasurer Leonardo Syjuco clarified the P1,000 fee is charged only to students who enroll one week after the start of classes.
“It is not about earning more (for the University). It is to discipline students (because) every enrollment we hire additional people for manpower,” Syjuco said.
Disciplining students
Syjuco pointed out the increasing number of late enrollees every year, without citing data. The Registrar’s Office also could not provide data on the number of late enrollees.
Gonzales said she had observed that enrollees tend to queue at the last minute, just when classes have opened.
“We had an everyday projection on the number of enrollees during the enrollment period and we noticed that we were missing the target,” Gonzales said.
For instance, the University expected 5,000 enrollees on the first day of enrollment, but only 3,500 students showed up.
This forced the University to extend the enrollment period, and the duty of part-time employees.
“Every enrollment, we hire additional people for manpower,” Gonzales said. “Late enrollments force the University to let these people stay longer, thus we have to pay them more.”
