Senior Noelle Brigden and about 30 other DU students plan to complain to Chancellor Ritchie about the Office of Student Services and its lack of professionalism.

Brigden is going to hand a list of complaints to Ritchie at the next Chancellor’s Roundtable.

The complaints range from employees at the office being rude to paperwork being lost. Last year similar complaints were voiced at on of the quarterly Roundtables.

But while Brigden is going straight to the chancellor with her complaints, Duane L. Reeves, director of financial operations in Student Financial Services, said his office is always open for any student who wants to address any sort of problem.

“We’re here to help anyone that needs help and our emphasis is on DU students,” Reeves said. “If there’s a problem we need to hear from you.”

For Brigden, her troubles began when the office found a mistake in her tuition funding. When Brigden transferred from a junior college to DU last year, she had received a housing scholarship. The scholarship was initially used for Brigden’s on campus housing costs. But Brigden was never supposed to receive the scholarship because her tuition was paid by the Veteran’s Administration. Her housing scholarship was to be a tuition discount.

When the mistake was discovered, Brigden received a phone call from the Student Financial Services telling her that the she needed to pay back the scholarship. Brigden took out a student loan to pay back the scholarship.

Mistakes can be made, Brigden acknowledges. So she said she didn’t mind paying back the scholarship. It was the way the Student Financial Services handled the situation that disturbed Brigden.

“I had a woman from the office call me fraudulent and tell me I was breaking the law,” she said. “To call me fraudulent is hurtful. And I don’t think the woman was very professional in handling the situation.”

Brigden’s troubles continued. At the beginning of the fall quarter, she had asked permission from the office to register for classes although her tuition account was not fully paid. Students cannot register if they have holds on their tuition accounts totaling more than $500.

Brigden didn’t receive permission to register. Instead, she said she received unsolicited advice from another Student Financial Services employee.

“She basically told me I needed lessons about financial responsibility,” Brigden said.

Brigden said she tried expressing her concerns to the office’s supervisors but their help was not satisfactory.

“I’m a paying customer and I don’t feel like I’m being treated like a customer,” Brigden said.

Brigden said something else needed to be done. She got the idea of compiling a list after she heard some students had complained to the chancellor about Student Financial Services at one of last year’s roundtables. Ritchie said students could compile a list with times, dates and names and send it to him.

Brigden did just that. She has received more than 30 complaints and the number continues to grow. Some students complain about not being able to leave voice messages in their financial aid counselors’ voicemail boxes because their voicemails are full. Others complain there isn’t enough competent staff.

Though Reeves cannot comment on Brigden’s case or any individual case because of student privacy issues, he said that he has not been made aware of any complaints.

Reeves said that any student with any complaint should write it down, noting the time, date and the name of the Financial Student Services employee the student talked with. Reeves said he would personally talk with the student who has a grievance and let the student know what is being done about the student’s complaint.

Reeves said the office’s employees are well trained and that sometimes other factors might make students think employees are being rude.

“Sometimes when a student doesn’t get the answer he wants,” he said, “that automatically makes the person rude. It’s human nature.”

Reeves said his office handles about 10,000 calls, student walk-ins and other financial matters every month. But his office rarely receives complaints.

Last year, Reeves said his office only received one complaint for the winter and spring quarters. In the fall, when the office switched from its Legacy program to the banner system, his office received about 60 complaints. Reeves said that was pretty low compared to the large volume of students the office assists.

Reeves said his office is fully staffed and that all employees have adequate training and experience. Reeves said Student Financial Services even hires DU graduates because they have gone through the experience of working with the office as a student and will be more understanding in helping other students.

When students leave messages for financial aid counselors, Reeves said their message will be returned within a day.

The office also answers phones on the first call. In September 1999, the office received 6,393 calls and 6,250 calls were answered.

Students can still send their complaints to Brigden at nbrigden@du.edu.