When the SGA sat down at its retreat in August, it outlined five key projects to start the year off with. One of these projects was to investigate the new $8 transcript fee that had gone into effect over the summer. The committee over the past month and half has been very busy looking into it, and has had many interesting experiences and startling revelations.
To start, we did research. UMBC outsourced handling the distribution of our transcripts to Credentials Inc. We looked into the company a bit, but we also looked into transcript fees at other institutions. Our first revelation came in finding out that no other college in the state of
Taking her advice to heart, we did more research. And again we found that of our 10 peer institutions, 3 gave out transcripts for free, and 4 were at $5. Only 3 were as high as or higher than UMBC. Naturally this only fueled our worries about why our fee was so high.
Today we met with Mr. Robinson. He told us about how there was a bidding process for the outsourcing, with Credentials winning. He also told us that there was indeed money coming back to UMBC in a revenue sharing plan. Some of this money would go to offsetting the departments budget problems, some would go to hiring more staff eventually, and the rest would be going to research and development. When we asked the Registrar why UMBC was in such dire straits compared to our peer institutions that we needed such a high fee, he informed us that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to our peers.
We also asked him if there could be alternatives to the current model. When asked if we could have it to where students could use Credentials if they needed those particular services, but could still get transcripts for free at the Office of the Registrar, he told us that would be infeasible, giving a metaphor that if given a choice between free parking on campus and using the meters, people would use the free parking. We also asked him if perhaps we could do method where students could get 3 transcripts for free in a day, and anymore than that could be charged (a method used as other campuses), but he told us that it would be nearly impossible to track that kind of data. In the end, we asked how could he justify having students pay another fee outside of the many fees we already pay for, he told us that we pay for stuff at the Yum Shoppe in the Commons, and this is very similar.
The committee has yet to meet to decide our next course of action. Obviously input from the students that we represent (all of you) would be very helpful, so leave some comments. If you would like to let the Registrar know your feelings on the fee, e-mail him at robinsos@umbc.edu. We plan to continue working on this issue until the problem is resolved.
38 comments:
You should look into what they've actually been spending the money on in the Registrar's office. I think you'd be surprised, and, like myself, thoroughly dismayed.
I might be alone on this, but $8 doesn't sound all that unreasonable to me. I'm sure plenty of people have had problems with the registrar's office, and if this helps things go a little smoother, then it sounds like a good plan.
I agree with the other anonymous...I do not understand how they have budget problems yet they just bought a 58-inch plasma tv and new furniture
@Bethany:
I suppose you haven't had to submit an official transcript to 10+ graduate or professional schools. Also, it's good to know the registrar's office will run "smoother" now that their employees don't have to click "print."
Considering that my tuition all along has included the "cost" (ie printing 3 pieces of paper and shoving them in an envelope) all along I see no purpose for this $8 fee, especially if some of the money is going back to the registrar's office. What research and development does the registrar need to do?
For those of you who don't think it's a big deal, perhaps you aren't applying to graduate school or applying to jobs that require them but many people are applying to a number of jobs that request your official transcript. Anyone applying to graduate school can apply to anywhere from 5 to 25 schools. 25 * 8 is 200. Personally this would dissuade me from applying to more schools considering each school charges an application fee and UMBC just added another $8 on top of that.
This is definitely a big thank you from UMBC as I certainly will be saving myself a great deal of money in the future. Every time I get a phone call or a letter asking for me to donate I will surely remember this and be sure to send back the envelope empty.
"They were also told that for someone requesting a transcript, namely alumni, it would not be a burden since they usually only request one." I know many current students who have to request transcripts for many different reasons (insurance, scholarships, internships, jobs, grad school, etc). I would like to see numbers about who exactly is ordering transcripts.
Also, the fact that Dr. Young and Mr. Robinson don't agree on whether or not UMBC is making a profit off of the transcript fee very disconcerting. What other fees are we paying that no one really knows what the money is being spent on?
If other schools can track how many transcripts students get in one day, why can't we? Obviously, this plan is not impossible.
"we pay for stuff at the Yum Shoppe in the Commons" That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Transcripts are often required for jobs, internships, etc. What is the Yum Shoppe required for? Absolutely nothing. There is a huge difference between paying for something you want and something you need.
This is complete bullshit. UMBC saps me dry on a yearly basis and just as I'm about to get out the door and go to graduate school I have to pay another $8 per transcript. I was planning on applying to about 15 graduate programs across the country for biology. Just another reason gives us to hate the school.
Something really needs to be done about the transcript fees. The registrar needs to realize that with the amount of grad schools students apply to it is a burden to pay $8 for each piece of paper especially when extra money is going into "research & development". I am not sure what research he is referring to, but I think the needs of the students need to be met first and foremost. I still do not understand why we could not at least get (for example) the first several transcripts free. While it sounds like the registrar is unwilling but NOT unable to compromise I am glad that the committee is stepping in to give students a voice and I hope more students support this effort.
yeah the money does add up when applying to many schools and it can be seen as a problem in the long run.
I think that the registrars office should maintain their budget parallel to the transcripts since they are using Credentials inc. that would atleast lower the fee significantly since students request many copies of their transcript when they apply to graduate and medical schools or to various jobs.
I think that the registrars office should maintain their budget parallel to the transcripts since they are using Credentials inc. that would atleast lower the fee significantly since students request many copies of their transcript when they apply to graduate and medical schools or to various jobs.
Doesn't UMBC claim that we're such a good school to go to get into grad school? Isn't charging us extra money for transcripts when instead they should be encouraging more students to apply to more schools the opposite message.
And research and development for what? Maybe they can get grades our faster than 3 weeks after the semester ends. And even if they can get the few things they need to do done faster, it's not worth me having to pay $80 for the 10 grad schools I'll be applying to.
I agree with "umbc student." When UMBC tries to solicit me for donations, I will return the envelope empty, or possibly with a note inside saying "Already paid via unnecessary transcript fees. Thank you."
"he informed us that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to our peers."
Seriously? If he actually said that then we have no chance of reasoning with him.
Also of our peer institutions, how many of them are public or how many of them are private? Is there some way we can find a list of them or are they locked up like the rest of the information the administration loves to keep hidden from students?
@CS:
Our institutional peers are available on a list maintained by the Office of Institutional Research here, for the purpose of comparing ourselves. They've been picked for their similarity to UMBC so they can serve as a baseline to compare ourselves against.
Another excellent source of comparison are the other schools in the USM, although our peer institutions are going to be more like UMBC than, say, College Park.
And just think, if you aren't picking up the transcript in person, you will be paying at least double that fee. They now charge additionally to mail, fax, or fedex official transcripts. And when they eventually get the PDF email version working I'm sure that will be even more expensive, since it uses new technology. So we'll be paying much more than 8/transcript.
But hey, look on the bright side tuition didn't go up... Don't tell me my tuition will not go up and then charge me for something so essential as a transcript...
p.s. has anyone else tried to get a transcript? I went to get one for my study abroad application and it is a confusing process to actually get one. The $8 may not sound like a lot but when you jsut wrote out a check for a $200 deposit, it starts to get to you...
We pay hundreds of dollars in fees each semester and we have no clue where that money is going, this fee should just be included in this charge. If we continue to be are charged we should at least get a break. We should get at least one to two free transcripts each semester.
This individual was full of really bad metaphors if this is true.
"...giving a metaphor that if given a choice between free parking on campus and using the meters, people would use the free parking."
Except that there are ways to park locally and walk to campus. There are some bus options for locals. Also it is unlikely that all campus students need to park. Most, if not all, students will need transcripts for Grad School, transferring, and jobs.
"In the end, we asked how could he justify having students pay another fee outside of the many fees we already pay for, he told us that we pay for stuff at the Yum Shoppe in the Commons, and this is very similar."
How is that similar? Not every student uses the Yum Shoppe. Again: almost every student will need at least one transcript, not every student needs the Yum Shoppe. If SGA polled the students, I wager that a much lower percentage of students use the Yum Shoppe than the ones who will need a transcript.
This line of logic is insulting to our intelligence as a student body that Mr. Robinson thought that he was using an appropriate metaphor.
"but he told us that it would be nearly impossible to track that kind of data."
Will someone who knows programming please tell me if it is not feasible to track via computer the amount of transcripts requested?
I wager that if the office decided to do online requests only with a station inside of the Registrars Office for walk-in requests, there would be a method in which to track transcript request traffic.
"he informed us that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to our peers."
Why? What was the logic given to not compare UMBC to other universities? If we weren't compared to other schools, UMBC would not be an "up and coming school" (U.S. News & World Report) because we would not be compared to anyone else.
To borrow a line of logic from UMBC Student, I am also alarmed that there is a disparity of knowledge between Dr. Young and Mr. Robinson.
Either Mr. Robinson is keeping info from Dr. Young (in which case his employment should be terminated for withholding vital information from senior UMBC administors) or he's lying (which should also severely alter his employment status).
We are college students. Even more, we are college students at an Honors College. We deserve the decency of an intelligent answer which has not been supplied by Mr. Robinson.
My fellow UMBC students, we must rally together and not let our wallets be siphoned by others who don't take us seriously.
I don't see why UMBC can't create a position for a student worker and pay them $8/hr to handle all the transcript requests. And implement a policy where the first transcript is free and each is a dollar there after. UMBC would then be meeting the cost of the student worker and maybe even pocketing a little extra cash.
@ Duh
I was a student worker at the registrar's office until last spring. I quit. This office is a complete disaster and THEY DID PAY ME TO DO STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS and it did not take up time away from helping students. I wish hey paid me 8 bucks an hour for it! Either way, you all are right, UMBC IS taking more money from us, and Steve Robinson is a complete douchebag. They are feeding you bullshit. Trust me.
at least do something rather than bitching about it on an internet blog.
actions speak louder than blogs.
To the person above, we are doing something about it, and writing this blog is a way of stirring student concern to show the administration that we are dissatisfied with the current situation.
I really do hope we can stir something out of this because considering the present economic hardship this is a just an unfair action that was carried out without the opinion or consideration of undergraduate students. Even if there were to be some kind of fee, $8 per transcript is just ridiculous.
Honestly, I agree mainly with Bethany. My high school charged 4 bucks per transcript, and I paid that fee without complaint because I knew that by going to college I was increasing the money I would get back later from my job, so this was just another due to pay to get there. So to me, it's the same for grad school and college transcripts. To pay 8 for a college transcript where there are so many more student requests to keep track of, and a much more involved budget, really doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I do however sympathize with those who can't afford it or cut their number of applications because of it, and would support efforts to lower the fee, but I'm not personally bothered by it.
@ rat.
what exactly are you doing about it by bloggin on the internetz?
administration doesn't read these blogs, fyi.
when you start petitioning or storming the registrar's office with a mob of angry people, then i'll believe you're doing something besides blowing smoke
"...we were told that the Registrar’s office had been so busy printing transcripts, that they were unable to focus on services to students."
I used to work at the Registrar's office. This is complete and utter bullshit. It takes a few seconds to hit print, fold the paper, and seal and stamp the envelope.
I worked in the registrar's office over the summer (when the policy was first implemented) and I have a few comments.
- This saves the office very little time. They still have to stand there, wait for the transcript to print, stamp it "official", and put it in an envelope. Literally, the only difference is that they don't actually hit "print" now. They could easily have created their own online system to accept online requests.
- If a student wants to pay cash, they have to go to the registrar's office, then the bursar's office, then back to the registrar's office.
- UMBC still does unofficial transcripts for free, and the process takes the same amount of time (if not less) than using the credentials system.
- Also interesting is the $5 "enrollment verification" fee. It is free for UMBC students but ONLY if you go through the online system which doesn't work until the semester has started. If you need verification for fall semester enrollment by August 15th, you have to pay $5.
- One of the workers was accused of "stealing" from the school for giving a student one of the two (can't remember which) without charging them a fee due to a special circumstance.
- The workers at the office are nice people who do not personally get to pocket this money. Please do not bitch at them for having to pay $8 because they have no power over this. I would even argue that Steven Robinson had pressure placed on him to make this decision in order to generate income.
To the anonymous that has worked at the registrar's office...so have I, hey sup-i probably know you HAHA
okay.
/end
If it really costs $8 for this "company" to print and send our our transcripts, than we should have found a company that was willing to do it for less. If the school really is making money off of transcript requests they should cut that out and lower the fee so it just covers cost. Ordering transcripts should not be a revenue source. If the equipment needs to be updated that shouldn't cause the creation of an unfair student fee
true if you have to send transcripts to about 10 schools for grad school admission, u will rily feel this pain,, or wat if you have to send them in order to meet a deadline in november yet your fall grades r not out, then you have to send them now and also wen fall grades come out thats like 20 transcripts? (if u apply to 10 schools) and dats wat 160 on just transcripts?????
em i dont think so , this is clearly a RIP OFF!!!
@ anonymous that replied to rat:
Yes, maybe the administration doesn't read this blog, but do you know if perhaps the SGA members might use this as evidence to show that a lot of students are concerned about this fee? If there is no hard and substantial evidence of the collective concerns of students' concerns, then how are we going to affect change...
yes ooo it would certainly get the powers that be to turn heads if we followed your methods, but can't we go through all the peaceful channels first, and if everyone is met with a road block then resort to extreme measures?
to rat:
"If there is no hard and substantial evidence of the collective concerns of students' concerns, then how are we going to affect change..."
1) having ANONOMYOUS blogs isn't the answer. you need REAL names and REAL people to sign REAL petitions
2) THIS IS AN INTERNET BLOG. no one cares about what people think on the internet.
my point is that anonymity gets nothing done.
my second point is that if people are too chicken to stand up for what they believe in outside of the internet, then don't expect to see the 8 dollar fee change any time soon.
@anonymous
Even though I post as Archangel, my real identity is Gabe Rettaliata, and I'm Speaker of the Senate for the SGA this year. I posted this entry to let people know what was happening and to hopefully here back from students how the transcript fees are affecting them. Trust me though, we have been continuing to take action since this post. A couple of us met with Dr. Yvette Mozie-Ross who is pretty much Mr. Robinsons's boss over in Enrollment Management. It was a much more productive meeting, and she has given us indications that she is willing to tweak the system as it is right now. We have nothing official yet, but we will continue to stay on top of the issue and make sure we continue to serve the student's best interests.
BTW, thanks for reading!
Thanks Gabe for letting "anonymous" know!
WHAA? A NAME ON THE INTERNET OF SOMEONE I DON'T KNOW!? you scare anon!!
now that this topic has been replaced with the more popular topic of a rabbit being found, this is yet another blog that falls on deaf ears.
with love,
o7 anon
To Dr. Young and all the Vice Presidents who were told "that for someone requesting a transcript, namely alumni, it would not be a burden since they usually only request one."
I was incorrect to suppose that only alumni would be requesting transcripts and could afford the fee after requesting perhaps one at a time. What about the students without jobs? The ones where transcripts are a necessary part of student life in applying to graduate schools, jobs, and internships? And students who do not currently have jobs (or parents footing the bill)? When you don't have money, these fees can really add up. Thanks a lot UMBC!!! This institution is supposed to be helping me move forward, not discouraging me financially and preventing me from applying to places.
Correction - One typo corrected:
To Dr. Young and all the Vice Presidents who were told "that for someone requesting a transcript, namely alumni, it would not be a burden since they usually only request one."
It was incorrect to suppose that only alumni would be requesting transcripts and could afford the fee after requesting perhaps one at a time. What about the students without jobs? The ones where transcripts are a necessary part of student life in applying to graduate schools, jobs, and internships? And students who do not currently have jobs (or parents footing the bill)? When you don't have money, these fees can really add up. Thanks a lot UMBC!!! This institution is supposed to be helping me move forward, not discouraging me financially and preventing me from applying to places.
@everyone
I am pleased to announce that the registrar has indeed read this blog, and, in fact, BLAMED some of its current student-workers for "leaking" secret information about how they just bought new furniture and a plasma television. So complain away. They are reading it.
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