Under the MyMav system, students who live on campus with financial aid will have to pay the full semester’s rent at the beginning of the semester, as opposed to being able to designate when they pay it.

Public affairs director Bob Wright said that under the old system, tuition was paid after financial aid was awarded. Then, the student was issued a refund check, and it was up to the student to remember to pay rent each month.

After tuition, the first thing financial aid is supposed to be applied toward is room and board, Wright said.

“This is a new part of the new MyMav system,” he said. “It pays all their living expenses up front, so they don’t have to worry about it.”

Wright said the university implemented the new system to take away students’ worries about where to get the money for month-to-month living expenses.

“This system solves that problem for the student,” he said.

Wright said this feature of the system was intended to simplify life for students, but for Shaniqua Mitchell, Spanish and education senior, it is just the beginning of a problem.

Like many students, Mitchell pays for school with grants, loans and scholarships.

A couple of weeks ago, Mitchell noticed a change in the system when two month’s rent, for the summer semester, was automatically deducted from her MyMav account, which she said was unusual.

“On the old system, the student would be notified about one month before the future rent was due,” she said.

Concerned that her entire fall rent would be paid in full also, Mitchell said she e-mailed the president’s office regarding the matter but received neither a response nor evidence that the office had received anything. She attempted to clarify the matter with the housing department but was told to go to Bursar Services for answers. Mitchell said she received an e-mail from them confirming that any residual aid from fall or spring would apply to the entire housing balance rather than just one month.

That means, Mitchell said, that she will not be able to afford to buy her books and other supplies because her aid will already be gone at the beginning of the semester.

“I have child support for my kids, and I have a work-study job, which will help with items I need through the semester,” she said. “But I’m not going to have $500 out of pocket just to go into the bookstore for books. If I don’t have my books, it’s going to put me behind in my classes. I have never not been able to get my books for the start of a semester.”

Mitchell said that last semester, she used her financial aid refund for books, supplies and gas. She also said she paid a couple of months rent in advance.

According to the UTA Housing Office, some campus apartments, such as Garden Club, initially rent units for a minimum of three months. In the past, after the first three months, students could rent on a month-to-month basis.

Mitchell also voiced her concern for other students who might have the financial rug pulled out from under their feet. In situations where several students share an apartment, she said, usually one person is responsible for collecting and delivering each month’s rent.

“It’s going to cause problems if that person has to come up with the entire semester’s rent at one time,” she said.

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