If there was one thing Bursar Kinga Mauger would change about MyNIU, it would be to include a page similar to the former on-line system, WebConnect.

MyNIU departs from the WebConnect bank-statement-like breakdown of student finances for a tabbed system, in which students view scholarships, financial aid and total fees separately.

“There was one screen out of the old system that showed a [cost] summary of a term in one place,” Mauger said. “[MyNIU’s tab format] was not necessarily a format we designed. It was a standard in the system … All Big Ten universities use the same system, as well as DePaul, Northwestern and Loyola.”

Another change in NIU’s financing has been the switch to paperless bills. Students can still request to have a bill sent to them via mail, but it will still be formatted the same as it is online.

Marc Turnes of the Scholarship Office said staff and student reviews are mixed.

“I received an e-mail saying I’d be charged with a late fee if I didn’t pay my bill. The information sent in the e-mail was wrong, and there was a $1000 discrepancy,” said Trevor Heinisch, a senior computer science major.

Mauger explained that having bills online increases speed. Students can view their finances in real time.

“Our e-mail notices that went out to students caused a whole state of concern because it looked like [the students] were past due. That has been corrected,” Mauger said.

Students who overpaid will be entitled to refunds once financial aid disperses. Refunds are processed daily.

“The sooner you applied for aid, the sooner that money comes in” Mauger said. There will also be a bulk of refunds processed after the drop/add period, due to tuition changes with dropped classes.

Students receiving refunds will be notified via e-mail, and have the choice of accepting their money through direct deposit or a check.

“[MyNIUs finance system] is convenient. But I don’t like it because we were never taught how to use it,” said freshman pre-nursing major Laura Barrie.

Despite misunderstandings, people are working through it.

“There has been some initial confusion because it is a new system and everybody’s getting used to it,” said Dana Gautcher, scholarship coordinator and financial retention advocate.

Unlike WebConnect, which was made of several separate systems, MyNIU centralizes information such as hours enrolled, GPA and financial aid.

“I like that everything is in one system and that just by a couple different clicks you can look at all the different screens you need,” Gautcher said.

Both Gautcher and Mauger emphasized how patient students have been with the adjustment.