No loan problems at other UM schools
MyZou is faulted for problems with PLUS loans.
Published Sept. 21, 2007
Although MU's new myZou interface employs a more modern design and offers students more options, its implementation has slowed the processing of some students' Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student loans. Other UM campuses have not encountered similar problems with their new systems.
In 2005 and 2006 respectively, the UM-Kansas City and UM-Rolla campuses replaced their student registration and financial aid systems. PATHway, the UMKC system, has not had any problems with student information or loan disbursement, UMKC spokeswoman Wandra Green Brooks said. UMR spokesman Lance Feyh said the same holds true for JoeSS.
In 2008, the UM-St. Louis campus will institute a system similar to those in place at MU, UMKC and UMR, UMSL spokeswoman Maureen Zegel said.
"We will just have to wait and see what happens," she said.
After the switch to myZou, which was fully implemented with the incoming freshman class, nearly $9 million worth of federal student loans have not been paid for the Fall 2007 academic semester.
The change to myZou from STARMU was due in part to the former system's age, but the success of other online databases and the opportunity to give students regular availability to access their account information also prompted the switch.
The STARMU system, which each campus used before the switch, only allowed students access until 9 p.m. during the week and even more limited access on weekends.
Additionally, the change to myZou allowed multiple departments at the university, including the Department of Admissions and Office of Student Financial Aid, to be accessed from the same location.
MU spokesman Christian Basi said the myZou system itself is not at fault for the delay in processing Parent PLUS Loans.
"It is not due to the computer system but the size of the information," he said.
Basi said the large number of freshmen was not a factor in the delay, because all new students are automatically added to the myZou system.
According to information provided by the MU News Bureau, a record 5,027 students were enrolled in this year's freshman class. Overall, 28,070 students enrolled at MU in Fall 2007.
Instead of enrollment, Basi attributed the problem to the lengthy disbursement period that is part of the Parent PLUS Loan's disbursement policy. Basi said the Parent PLUS Loan requires a great deal of paper work and has a slow disbursement rate. He said the process has been lengthened by the implementation of the new system.
MU administrators are working to fix the problem, Basi said. But some students, such as MU freshman Jesse Hopkins, are growing impatient.
"I filled out the form in July, and I have not received the expected money," Hopkins said. "They say once I fill out this additional paperwork it will be another three to four weeks."
The paperwork includes paperwork for governmental loans offered to the students affected by the Parent PLUS Loan delay.
"A student can come to the financial aid office and meet with a representative to receive a no-interest government loan for how much money they may need for the time being," Basi said. "The difference will be paid back upon receiving the PLUS loan."
//Correction:
The Sept. 21 story "No loan problems at other UM schools" incorrectly quoted UM-Kansas City spokeswoman Wandra Brooks Green. She declined to comment because she wasn't aware of the issue with myZou. She did not comment on the status of the UMKC's PATHway system.