Some Indiana University students gearing up for the first day of classes on Monday may notice some changes when they check out at the IU Bookstore. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers took over management of the campus bookstores on July 1. In previous years, students who received university financial aid had the option of charging their books directly to their bursar accounts rather than paying cash up front. But under the Barnes & Noble management, that option is no longer directly on the table.
Instead, those students whose aid packages would have included an allocation for bursar charges from the bookstore will receive the equivalent amount of funds directly. IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre says he’s not sure if that will be the long-term solution to the issue, but he says it works for now.
IU Student Association president W.T. Wright says he’s still heard some concerns from students about the lack of bursar billing at the bookstore. He says he’s been brainstorming with IU administration as to other ways students that can’t immediately afford all of their beginning-of-the-semester costs can get some help.
Wright says he would have concerns about student privacy if commercial entities were given access to student’s bursar accounts, but he says he imagines a safe system could be devised.
