The Martlet

Wheelbarrows in hand, a duo of undergrads sallied forth from the Petch Fountain to pay their tuition in small change on Sept. 25, five days before the fee cut-off date.

UVic’s Accounting Services has traditionally only accepted debit transactions (made online, over the phone, or in person), cheques, money orders, bank drafts, or cash.

In an effort to make a statement about the inconvenience of not being allowed to pay tuition with a credit card, the coin-wheeling students showed that paying tuition with hundreds of roles of coins is another option.

“I’m paying in nickels and dimes because that’s what the university is doing — they’re nickel-and-diming us,” said Quinn Fuglestveit, the organizer of the protest. “You can use your credit card anywhere on campus but [not for] the most important payment of your career in university.”

UVic Executive Director of Finance Murray Griffiths explained that this regulation exists because credit card companies attach a processing fee to every credit transaction, which the vendor cannot add to the customer’s purchase. Griffiths said the cost could add up if many students chose to charge tuition to their plastic.

“That could be a million dollars gone from our operating budget,” said Griffiths.

When UBC quit accepting credit cards last June, they estimated an annual savings of $2.5 million in transaction fees. Additionally, when students pay late, UVic charges 1.5 per cent interest per month on the late sum. But the protesters say the university should absorb this cost to help students.

“It’s an inconvenience, and it makes it inaccessible. Because kids have to have liquid cash,” said Fuglestveit.

His co-conspirator Dylan Hardie said having the option to put fees on credit would really help students, as it would allow for a few extra weeks to get money together before interest begins.

As Fuglestveit and Hardie headed to the University Centre Accounting Services office with their wheelbarrows, a curious group of student onlookers followed the pair and watched as the two presented themselves to a surprised administration.

Several students assisted Hardie in unloading his penny, nickel and dime rolls onto the Accounting Services counter.

Staff wouldn’t take Fuglestveit’s unrolled change, however, and the student was told he would have to roll all of the coins in order for the payment to be acceptable.

“I have to wait for family funds right now,” said one of Hardie’s helpers, who is also waiting to pay UVic fees. “I don’t have enough money in my account due to books and things.”

For students faced with loan difficulties and problems arising from collecting all the money for tuition on time, Griffiths is quick to point out the presence of a Student Loans Officer in the University Centre, and the availability of bursaries — bursaries which he said are becoming larger as inflation rises.

Other B.C. universities allowed credit cards to be used for tuition payment in the past, but the only major B.C. university that continues to accept credit payment is the University of Northern British Columbia.

According to Griffiths, UVic

never accepted credit card

payments.

“We’ve not seen anything to this extent [of backlash] before and it actually quite surprises me,” Griffiths said.