UNCW will no longer be sending out paper bills and will rely exclusively on the new TouchNet E-Bill system that was implemented in the fall.

“This system has better functionality than the old one in that it allows both parents and students to view the bill and receive e-mail notifications,” Student Account Manager Matt Hinnant said. “Users will also be able to print current and past bills.”

Students will now be required to use the system to view and print bills and make online payments.

“Sometimes it was difficult to get paper bills to parents. There were always mailing address and post office issues,” Hinnant said.

The new system will eliminate delivery and address issues, as well as improve privacy and security.

“The new system is a PCI-secured environment,” Hinnant said. Only students and those with authorization will be able to view bills and make payments.

“The online system lets students give access to their parents. When students log onto E-Bill and set up their parent, it grants authorization and complies with [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act],” Hinnant said.

Students with an outstanding balance will receive an e-mail notification and can log onto their account through SeaNet or the direct link on the Student Account Web site. Bills can be paid online with a MasterCard, Visa, checking or savings account. Automatic payments can be set up. Payments can also be mailed with a printed bill.

“It’s pretty convenient because the bills can be seen at home and I can still check on them here. I like that I can check on my status whenever I want,” sophomore Tammy Tran said. Students are able to view and print current and past bills.

“The program has been fantastic so far. Our biggest challenge is letting students know of the change. We have been putting up fliers and sending lots of e-mails,” Hinnant said.

“We hope this will lead to improved communication with parents and students. More online payments will also free up our cashiers to improve customer service and hopefully make everything run more smoothly,” Hinnant said.

The new program will also cut costs in printing and postage for the university. Estimated costs to produce paper bills are $22,000 each year.

“This is phase one of the program,” Hinnant said. On July 1, refunding will be built into the system and replace the UNCW Higher One card. The final step will be payment plans.