When freshman Jesse Capecelatro received a $2,400 bill for repairs to a window he punched in the Onondaga Hall lobby and related health costs, he paid most of his debt immediately, even though he wasn’t aware that delinquent debts bar students from registration. With another unpaid health bill pending, Caps, as he is commonly known, must pay his debt to the school or he, like many other students, will be unable to register for the fall 2006 semester.

“I paid everything off, but I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be able to register if I didn’t,” he said.

With registration for next semester in progress, some Binghamton University students, like Capecelatro, may find themselves scrambling to clear delinquent debts. While some may be familiar with the dangers of neglecting unpaid dues before signing up for classes, there are those who will be surprised to learn that any outstanding debts, from parking tickets to library fines, will prevent any student from registering.

According to Terry Kelley-Wallace, BU’s acting registrar, the information necessary to restore and maintain a debt-free record is available online, but new students may be unfamiliar with the requirements.

“Actually, I think people are getting familiar enough,” she said. “It’s really the freshmen that have a problem when they try to register from the fall to spring semester and they don’t realize they have to pay delinquent debts.”

Debts from parking tickets, health bills, library fines and problems with financial aid accounts can hold up registration, according to Larry Cass, director of Student Accounts. Although unpaid fines from parking and traffic violations may be the most common obstacles, Kelley-Wallace noted that few students, whether they are freshman or upper-classmen, are aware that mishaps with their financial aid can keep them from signing up for classes.

Kelley-Wallace noted that despite the “added convenience” of being able to pay bills online, many students neglect or ignore their responsibilities to pay their bills.

“Most of the time people know about parking tickets but they just ignore them,” she said. “But you can be taken by surprise if there’s a problem with your financial aid payment going through.”

While bills from Health Services are rare because much of the facility’s services are covered by students’ insurance, health fees from lab work can still plague students, Cass said.

Regardless of the nature of the debt, Cass and Kelley-Wallace both said that clearing one’s balance to the University is as simple as going to the BUSI Web site and paying online.

“Since we started online registration, at least 20 years ago, students have been able to pay it online.” Cass said. “It’s never been difficult to clear up a debt.”

And clearing debts could get easier, as Student Accounts is researching the possibilities of adding new methods of payment. “We are exploring what possibilities are out there to enhance the Web payment process,” Cass said, referring to Direct Debit, a way of paying bills online directly from one’s bank account.

According to Cass, an appeal process also allows students to contest parking tickets and a “temporary clearance” can be issued.

Student Accounts informs students of their debt via campus mail and through e-mail. A banner on their Web site and a message to anyone with dues who attempts to register also serve as notices to those who are unaware of the impact of delinquent debts.

Travis Kushner, a freshman, was also unaware that any unpaid fines could keep him from registering.

“I’m assuming if I had any [debts] that put something important, like registering, into jeopardy that I would be notified.”